The HERO Caribbean Premier League (CPL) will welcome international talent for this year’s Player Draft which is set to take place in Barbados on Thursday February 11.
International stars confirmed include Twenty20 heavyweights Francois “Faf” du Plessis, Martin Guptill, Brendon McCullum, Kumar Sangakkara and Shane Watson.
This will be the inaugural inclusion of marquee international players in the CPL Draft and the CPL has also announced the identity of one of the other two marquee players who will both be returning for another stint. Black Caps’ batsman Martin Nuptial, who holds the world record ODI score of 237 not out achieved against the West Indies in Wellington during the ICC CWC 2015, currently lies in fifth place in the World T20 batting rankings.
All marquee players will enter the Player Draft and will each be assigned to one of the six franchises from Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia and Trinidad & Tobago.
The 2016 edition of the CPL is set to be played over a six-week period from the end of June until the first week of August, with this year’s fixtures to be announced in due course.
Each squad has increased from 15 to 17 players (though franchises also have an option to have a current West Indies Cricket Board player as part of their squad) which must include the following; one ‘marquee’ player, one representative from the ICC Americas, one West Indies Under-19, five overseas (with four permitted to feature in any matchday starting XI) and 10 West Indies qualified players.
