CPL 2020 set to kickstart on August 19

The 2020 edition of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) is all set to get underway on August 19 and will continue to enthrall until September 26. The T20 tournament started in 2013 and has been a witness to seven successful seasons. In the previous season, Barbados Tridents, captained by Jason Holder, emerged victorious beating the Guyana Amazon Warriors in the Final in Trinidad.

The window means that all the Caribbean contracted players will be available for the duration of the tournament. The scheduling of the CPL also means that there won’t be any overlap with the England and Wales Cricket Board’s ‘The Hundred’. Pete Russell, the COO of the CPL, sounded delighted and said that efforts will be made to take the T20 event to greater heights.

“We are very pleased to be playing our tournament in August and September, a time or year that is perfect for us and our fans. Having the best Caribbean cricketers and the world’s best overseas players is the foundation of our tournament and this period gives us that,” Russell was quoted as saying in the tournament’s official website.

“We may be just days away from the 2019 tournament, but we are already making plans for next year to ensure that we continue to see the phenomenal growth and economic impact that CPL has seen over the years,” he added.

CPL deemed as preparation for T20 World Cup

Jonny Grave, the CEO of Cricket West Indies (CWI) reckons that it can be the apt preparation for the T20 World Cup in Australia later this year. “The Hero CPL has developed into one of the best and most exciting T20 competitions in the world and we look forward to hosting another successful tournament next month,” Grave told.

“We are pleased that we have once again found a window in our international calendar for the 2020 season to ensure that all the best West Indian cricketers can take part, as the tournament plays a crucial role in our preparations and planning for the ICC T20 World Cup in 2020,” he added.

The West Indies players are preparing for their upcoming tour of Sri Lanka. There, Kieron Pollard and Co will be taking part in three ODIs and a couple of T20Is. The Caribbean team is the defending champions of the T20 World Cup, having won the title in 2016, beating England in the Final.