The Barbados Caribbean Premier League franchise will change its name following a deal that sees the Royals Sports Group (EM Sporting Holdings Ltd), the owners of the Rajasthan Royals IPL franchise acquire a majority stake in the team. The two-time CPL champions will be rebranded as the Barbados Royals, a partner franchise of the Rajasthan Royals, as the Royals Sports Group seeks to expand its global presence.
The Barbados Royals were Hero CPL champions in 2014 and 2019 and are currently led by West Indies all-rounder Jason Holder. The team will get their 2021 campaign underway against the St Kitts & Nevis Patriots on 26 August at Warner Park, Basseterre.
Manish Patel, principal of the Barbados franchise, added, “We are extremely excited about the partnership with Manoj and the Rajasthan Royals family, which will further advance cricket in Barbados and the region.”
Royals Sports Group Chairperson, and the Lead Owner of Rajasthan Royals, Manoj Badale, commented: “We are delighted to have signed this deal with Manish Patel, to acquire a majority stake in the Barbados CPL franchise. We are extremely grateful to the Barbados government for their continued support, and we look forward to making a positive impact on both cricket and tourism for the country. We have ambitious plans for the Royals brand globally, and this is an important strategic step.”
CPL to use smart balls
At this year’s Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) the tournament will use the Kookaburra Smart Ball – powered by Sportcor. This revolutionary ball will be used in a professional league for the first time when Hero CPL gets underway in St Kitts & Nevis on 26 August 2021.
The Kookaburra Smart Ball looks, feels and plays exactly the same as a regular ball but there is a state of the art core that registers many more data points than using radar or ball tracking technology.
The ball sends back significant information on each delivery including the speed and spin of a ball at release, when it bounces and when it reaches the batsman. This information is then delivered to the commentators in real time. This will be graphically displayed for fans to enjoy during the live telecast.
Pete Russell, Hero CPL’s CEO, said: “We are really excited to be a cricketing first once again at Hero CPL and this technology is just mind blowing. We are really excited to see the Kookaburra Smart Ball powered by Sportcor, at the heart of the action at this year’s tournament and we are sure it will give added value to the teams and the fans.”
Michael Kasprowicz, Executive Chairman and Co-Founder said: “We’re delighted to partner with Hero CPL to introduce the Kookaburra Smart Ball, powered by Sportcor, to the world. By delivering real time data, we look forwarding to getting fans closer to the action than ever and giving players and coaches access to new insight to their performance, enhancing the way we all experience cricket!”
David Orchard, General Manager, Kookaburra said: “As a brand we are proud to be associated with a partner like Sportcor and are pleased they have partnered with the Hero CPL. The ball itself performs exactly like the Kookaburra Turf Ball, with the added technology to measure its behaviour according to release, pre-bounce and post bounce during a delivery. At Kookaburra we are committed to continuous improvement and innovation in the game we love, and our collaboration with Sportcor on the Kookaburra Smart Ball is an example of us leading together in this space, and providing real time data on the performance of every delivery in the game. The future looks bright for broadcasters, leagues, high performance coaches and cricketers at all levels to measure their own performance with the Kookaburra Smart Ball.” (CPL)