NORTH AMERICAN ALLIANCE
CPL CEO wants partnership with USA, Canada to grow franchise cricket in region
DESPITE the introduction of other Twenty20 (T20) franchise cricket leagues in the region, Caribbean Premier League (CPL) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Pete Russell says they can coexist and that he would welcome a possible partnership in the near future to rival the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Major League Cricket launched in the USA last summer, with sold-out crowds involving popular American cities such as New York, Los Angeles and Texas. Canada also hosted the third edition of Global T20 Canada last summer, with Toronto and Vancouver having franchise teams. Several West Indian players have participated in both leagues.
Russell told the Jamaica Observer that he does not view other leagues as a danger to the Caribbean tournament.
“I always look at it and say we’re not competing against these people,” he said. “If they’re not playing in our window, we’re not competing. We’re a distinctive Caribbean brand; we’ve been around 11 or 12 years. If you ask the question of the other two, they want to be in our position because we are an established brand, we have a good fan base, great commercial partners, and a product that people really enjoy.”
Russell says the development of cricket in the USA and Canada could result in a potential collaboration in the future, benefiting everyone in the region and potentially rivalling the biggest leagues in the world, including the IPL.
“Professionalising the game in America and Canada will only make everyone in the region that much better — whether that be players, administrators, and facilities,” he said. “At the minute, the Caribbean is really the only place that has decent cricket facilities, but that will change; you could see America evolving [in this regard]. And it would be great, wouldn’t it, to one day... have one super league that could take on the IPL [and] which could incorporate the Caribbean, America and Canada. I think there’s plenty to look forward to and I don’t think we have to put each of those countries in a silo. I think we can all work together.”
The 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup will be played across the Caribbean and the USA from June 1 to June 29, and Russell says it will not take the spotlight from the CPL which is set for August 28 to October 6.
“I think the eyes of the world will be on the Caribbean, and most of the destinations or venues that are being played for the World Cup will be CPL venues,” he said. “Then, we follow on [two] months later — which I think is a long enough gap for people to sort of enjoy the World Cup but then get ready for CPL. CPL is a very different tournament where it’s all about the region.”
The final of this year’s CPL will take place in Guyana for the third-consecutive year, with group stage matches set for Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, St Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Trinidad and Tobago.
The Jamaica Tallawahs will not be involved in this year’s tournament after the previous owners left for the Antigua franchise due to a lack of support from the Jamaican Government.