CPL 2016: Preview of all the 6 teams

The Caribbean equivalent to the IPL, the Caribbean Premier League- CPL 2016 is all set to kick off from 29 June with the Trinbago Knight Riders and the St. Lucia Zouks set to face off in the first match. A slew of international cricketers have been a part of the league over the years and the 6 team competition has superstars like Chris Gayle and Dwayne Bravo gracing the league with their presence. Unlike IPL, the CPL has 6 franchise teams competing for the title; each team has 17 contracted players from this time around including 5 international players. All the teams have been allowed to sign one ‘marquee player’ as a free agent before the draft begins. This new rule sent all the teams in a frenzy with each one looking to sign some of the best cricketers in the T20 format. Also with the prospect that the league will also be played in the USA this time, makes it even more interesting. Teams- Trinbago Knight Riders: Trinidad and Tobago Red Steel celebrates the dismissal. (Photo by Randy Brooks/LatinContent/Getty Images) The team for Trinidad and Tobago has an Indian connect, it is co-owned by Shah Rukh Khan hence the Knight Riders in the name. Formerly named Trinidad and Tobago Red Steal, stakes in the team were acquired by Shah Rukh’s Red Chillies Entertainment and after their victory in the 2015 season, the name was changed to Trinbago Knight Riders. The team’s performance in the 2013 and 2014 seasons was fairly average but by virtue of being victors in the last season, they stand as favorites this year. The core team for the Knight Riders remains the same as last year; Dwayne Bravo will be at the helm of affairs on the field and Brendon McCullum playing as the Marquee player. Sunil Narine and Colin Munro have the rare distinction of playing for both the Knight Riders teams currently and it must have been a homecoming for them after this year’s grueling IPL season. The Knight riders have their home ground at Queen’s Park Oval, Port of Spain, Trinidad. Also check out – CPL 2016: Teams, Squads, Schedule and Fixtures Trinbago Knight Riders squad: Hashim Amla, Sulieman Benn, Yannic Cariah, Anton Devcich, Brendon McCullum, Colin Munro, William Perkins, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Umar Akmal, Ronsford Beaton, Dwayne Bravo, Kevon Cooper, Hamza Tariq, Nikita Miller, Sunil Narine, Anderson Phillip, Javon Searles, Darren Bravo Guyana Amazon Warriors: Guyana Amazon Warriors. (Photo by Ashley Allen/LatinContent/Getty Images) The warriors based in Providence, Georgetown, Guyana must be looking to break their final jinx by winning the coveted trophy as the CPL marks its fourth season this time around. The Warriors have been two-time finalists in this competition and by far the most consistent team in the competition but have been snapping at the last hurdle in the previous seasons. Kiwi batsman Martin Guptill who is incidentally also the marquee player for the team has been placed at the helm of affairs on the field for this year’s edition as he garners a status of international repute peaking in at the 3rd spot of the ICC T20 batsmen’s rankings. Guyana Amazon Warriors squad: Martin Guptill, Christopher Barnwell, Rayad Emrit, Shimron Hetmyer, S Katwaroo, Jason Mohammed, Orlando Peters, Sohail Tanvir, Adam Zampa, Ali Khan, Anthony Bramble, Assad Fudadin, Steven Jacobs, Chris Lynn, Veerasammy Permaul, Dwayne Smith, Paul Wintz, Devendra Bishoo Jamaica Tallawahs: Jamaica Tallawahs celebrates the dismissal. (Photo by Randy Brooks/LatinContent/Getty Images) The Jamaica Tallawahs are the representative teams of Jamaica in the CPL. They play their home games at Sabina Park in Kingston, Jamaica. Hollywood actor Gerard Butler happens to be a cricket buff or perhaps just a smart businessman; he has acquired equity interest in the franchise. Tallawahs happens to be the only one to have fielded all 11 local players in a match in the CPL. Unlike the IPL, the CPL permits such a squad to play the match. The team has a great international roster featuring Sri Lankan Kumar Sangakkara and Dale Steyn among others. More than anything else, the team has the Gayle force blowing in its favor; Chris Gayle has been one of the frontrunners in the side’s successful stints in the 3 seasons. Jamaica Tallawahs squad: Timroy Allen, Jonathan Foo, Imad Wasim, Andre McCarthy, Garey Mathurin, Alex Ross, Kumar Sangakkara, Oshane Thomas, Kesrick Williams, Nkrumah Bonner, Chris Gayle, Jon-Russ Jaggesar, Dale Steyn, Rovman Powell, Andre Russell, Shakib Al Hasan, Chadwick Walton Barbados Tridents: Barbados Tridents. (Photo by Ashley Allen/LatinContent/Getty Images) The Tridents are the representative team for Barbados in the CPL. The team can also claim of a strong Indian connection as Neeta Ambani who is the owner of IPL team Mumbai Indian happens to be the owner of the Tridents. The tridents play their home games at the Kensington oval in Bridgetown, Barbados. The Tridents struck gold in the 2014 edition winning the coveted title and after coming agonizingly close to repeating the triumph, stumbled at the last step rather drastically, losing the final to Trinidad and Tobago Red Steal in the 2015 edition. They will be looking to capitalize on the presence of seasoned T20 campaigners like AB de Villiers and Shoaib Malik in their side. With a strong lineup, the Tridents are all set to aim for revenge. Barbados Tridents squad: Kyle Corbin, Kyle Hope, Imran Khan, Wayne Parnell, Kieron Pollard, Ravi Rampaul, Shoaib Malik, Navin Stewart, David Wiese, AB de Villiers, Akeal Hosein, Ashley Nurse, Robin Peterson, Nicholas Pooran, Raymon Reifer, Shamar Springer, Steven Taylor, Jason Holder St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots: West Indies and St Kitts Nevis Patriots Samuel Badree poses after a press conference. (Photo by Omar Vega/LatinContent/Getty Images) They are also known as SKN patriots because a commentator’s time is valuable. We can’t have him saying the full name again and again. SKN Patriots is a fresh side which participated in the competition for the first time in 2015. Its only advantage is that from the start of the competition till the end, this team will be touted as the underdogs, the advantage part here is that people always like to root for the underdogs and if a West Indian crowd gets behind you, your morale is sure to rise! The St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots have replaced the Antigua Hawkbills, a dormant side which participated in the first two editions of the CPL. Following the diffusion of the Hawkbills team, SKN Patriots went forward and retained some of the players which were released by the Hawkbills such as Carlos Braithwaite and Devon Thomas among others. The patriots have their home ground at Warner Park, Basseterre located on Saint Kitts. They are going to take the field in this season, much like what was done by Deccan Chargers in the second edition of the Indian Premier League. Being touted as the underdogs can actually be an invisible advantage and the Patriots might just go about proving this point again. St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots squad: Samuel Badree, Shamarh Brooks, Faf du Plessis, Brad Hodge, Evin Lewis, Thisara Perera, Krishmar Santokie, Lendl Simmons, Devon Thomas, Tino Best, Jonathan Carter, Nikhil Dutta, Alzarri Joseph, Jeremiah Louis, Kieran Powell, Tabraiz Shamsi, JJ Smuts, Carlos Brathwaite St Lucia Zouks: St. Lucia Zouks celebrate a wicket. (Photo by Ashley Allen/LatinContent/Getty Images) Starting to write about the last team and I am wondering whether the Patriots really are the underdogs. It seems like St. Lucia Zouks may well snatch away the title of the underdogs from them. The Zouks have been playing in the league since its inception and yet, have managed to rise only as much as the 5th position. Consistent failures and the stakes for the Zouks are going to be as high as ever to put up a better show this time around. The team represents the beautiful volcanic island of St. Lucia and plays their home matches at the Darren Sammy national cricket stadium in Gros Islet, St Lucia. St Lucia Zouks squad: Johnson Charles, Derone Davis, Andre Fletcher, Delorn Johnson, Eddie Leie, Kyle Mayers, Morne Morkel, Darren Sammy, Shane Watson, Keron Cottoy, Fidel Edwards, Michael Hussey, Nitish Kumar, Keddy Lesporis, David Miller, Gidron Pope, Shane Shillingford, Miguel Cummins, Denesh Ramdin, Kristopher Ramsaran The CPL surely promises to be the biggest party in the sport. The West Indians when in jest are a sight to watch and their celebratory mood will be unmatched as this time around, they will be in their own domain. So apart from your cricket shoes, make sure to brush up on your dancing skills! Written by Harshit Rakheja

Topics

Featured Section

Current Series

Cricket Fantasy Tips

Cricket Stats

IPL Teams

ICC Rankings

Interviews

Twitter Reactions

Cricket Appeal

Social Tracker

More Links

# Follow Us

Other Sports

CPL 2016: Preview of all the 6 teams

Guyana Amazon Warriors:

Latest Articles

IPL 2024: CSK vs SRH Match 46 highlights

IPL 2024: Top 10 Memes from CSK vs SRH, Match 46

SRH's 2nd Innings Highlights against CSK in Match 46