Jamaica Tallawahs, the champions of the 2022 Caribbean Premier League (CPL), will not participate in the 2024 season of the tournament. Instead, they will be replaced by a new franchise based in Antigua and Barbuda.
The ownership of the Tallawahs franchise, previously owned by Kris Persaud, a Guyanese businessman based in Florida, has been transferred back to the CPL.
A CPL spokesperson explained, “The owners were left with no option but to sell the Tallawahs back to CPL as they could not find a way to operate the team sustainably.”
The new franchise based in Antigua and Barbuda, set to make its CPL debut in 2024, has not yet been named. Antigua previously hosted a franchise named the Antigua Hawksbills in the first two seasons of the CPL, but they experienced limited success, winning only three matches. They were subsequently replaced by the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in 2015.
The economic benefits
Daryll Matthew, the minister of sports in the Antigua and Barbuda Senate, recently disclosed plans to host a CPL franchise in 2024. He highlighted the economic benefits, stating, “We can expect very easily and conservatively to generate approximately US$6 million per year by simply having a CPL franchise based in Antigua and Barbuda,” as reported by the Antigua Observer.
The CPL has affirmed its commitment to relaunching a Jamaica-based franchise in the future. However, this is not expected to happen until 2025 at the earliest. In the 2024 CPL season, there will be six participating teams, with franchises based in Antigua & Barbuda, Barbados, Guyana, St Kitts & Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Trinidad & Tobago.
Jamaican cricketer Rovman Powell, who led the Tallawahs to their third CPL title in 2022, expressed disappointment over his home island’s exit from the CPL. He emphasized the significance of Jamaica in Caribbean cricket and called for discussions between the West Indies Cricket Board and the Jamaican government regarding hosting international matches.
Jamaica has not hosted any CPL games since 2019
Sabina Park, the primary stadium in Kingston, Jamaica, will not host any matches in the upcoming T20 World Cup and last hosted international cricket in August 2022. Powell expressed his desire to play in front of his home crowd and urged stakeholders to engage in discussions to address this issue.
Jamaica has not hosted any CPL games since 2019, and efforts to engage the government in cricket discussions have faced challenges, as highlighted by CPL’s CEO Pete Russell in the past.
The 2024 CPL season is scheduled to commence in mid-August and extend into September.
Read: Jamaica Tallawahs stun Royals to win third HERO CPL title
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