September showdown! Caribbean Queens ready for WCPL battle royale
The 2025 Massy Women’s Caribbean Premier League (WCPL) will launch at Providence on September 6, and the three combatants—Trinbago Knight Riders, Barbados Royals, and Guyana Amazon Warriors—have now revealed the 15-player arsenals with which they intend to rule the region.
Each team will play four group games before the top two advance to the winner-take-all final on September 17.
“We have kept the core, added proven match-winners, and we expect to finish the job,” declared Deandra Dottin, who returns to captain Trinbago after steering them to the inaugural crown in 2022.
Trinbago Knight Riders – youth, power, and Lizelle Lee
Last year’s runners-up have doubled down on youthful flair—Jahzara Claxton, Zaida James, Jannillea Glasgow, and 17-year-old off-spinner Samara Ramnath—while importing heavyweight experience:
- Lizelle Lee – South Africa’s retired six-hitting colossus plugs straight into the top order.
- Jess Jonassen – Australia’s crafty left-arm all-rounder reprises her role.
- Shikha Pandey – India’s seasoned seamer keeps the new-ball threat sharp.
- Salonee Dangore – Leg-spin prospect fresh from WPL training stints joins the attack.
Only one notable omission: veteran off-spinner Anisa Mohammed.
Barbados Royals – the bid for a three-Ppeat
Two titles in two seasons have not dulled the champions’ hunger. West Indies captain Hayley Matthews again leads a roster rich in pedigree:
- Chamari Athapaththu storms back after conquering global leagues from Lahore to Melbourne.
- Afy Fletcher, Chinelle Henry, Qiana Joseph, Aaliyah Alleyne—West Indian stalwarts who know how to defend silverware.
- New recruit Steffie Soogrim, a Trinidadian left-arm spinner, adds depth to Matthews’ bowling options.
Guyana Amazon Warriors – hosts with heavy artillery
Providence’s own believe balance is their trump card. Stafanie Taylor joins Shemaine Campbelle and off-spinner Karishma Ramharack in a core fortified by overseas muscle:
- Shabnim Ismail returns to spearhead a pace battery for the third straight year.
- Laura Harris—formerly a Barbados enforcer—swaps blue for green to unleash boundary-clearing power.
- England’s Lauren Winfield-Hill and Australia’s Madeline Penna round out a cosmopolitan XI.
- Opening Match: Sept 6 – Trinbago Knight Riders vs Guyana Amazon Warriors, Providence
- Final: Sept 17 – Top two in the table, venue TBA in GuyanaFull 2025 WCPL Squads
| Barbados Royals | Guyana Amazon Warriors | Trinbago Knight Riders |
| Aaliyah Alleyne | Shemaine Campbelle | Abigail Bryce |
| Chamari Athapaththu | Britney Cooper | Jahzara Claxton |
| Shamilia Connell | Cherry-Ann Fraser | Nerissa Crafton |
| NaiJanni Cumberbatch | Realeanna Grimmond | Salonee Dangore |
| Afy Fletcher | Laura Harris | Deandra Dottin (c) |
| Sheneta Grimmond | Shabnim Ismail | Keila Elliott |
| Chinelle Henry | Nyia Latchman | Shabika Gajnabi |
| Trishan Holder | Plaffiana Millington | Jannillea Glasgow |
| Qiana Joseph | Ashmini Munisar | Shawnisha Hector |
| Kycia Knight | Chedean Nation | Zaida James |
| Hayley Matthews (c) | Madeline Penna | Jess Jonassen |
| Shreyanka Patil | Karishma Ramharack | Lizelle Lee |
| Georgia Redmayne | Kaysia Schultz | Shikha Pandey |
| Steffie Soogrim | Stafanie Taylor | Samara Ramnath |
| Courtney Webb | Lauren Winfield-Hill | Rashada Williams |
