Commercial Director of Cricket West Indies (CWI) Dominic Warne is confident of safely hosting the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) in St Kitts and Nevis from August 28 to September 19.
While the remainder of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is set to return on September 18 and reports indicated that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) are requesting CWI to advance the start of the CPL. CWI are yet to confirm changes to the biggest party in sport.
When asked if CPL will be in trouble in terms of hosting on the Mason and Guest radio program on Tuesday, Warne said the IPL is a powerhouse but as good as the IPL is to create an elite sport, it also takes away from international cricket, in terms of the timings.
“Of course if that is another window to complete it, everyone wants to see it complete but I think the CPL has a very good plan together, they have been working with St Kitts to host everything safe and I think everyone is trying to squeeze days around in this congested calendar rather than move, cancel or postpone things,” Warne said.
According to the Indian Express, the Borad of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is trying to convince Cricket West Indies to advance the start of the Caribbean Premier League by a week or 10 days to ensure a seamless bubble-to-bubble transfer of players for the IPL’s resumption in the UAE come September.
Suspended midway into its 14th season owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, the BCCI approved the resumption of the lucrative Indian Premier League in the UAE in the middle of September.
The CPL is scheduled to get underway from August 28 with the final to be played on September 19, while the remaining part of IPL is likely to be held from September 18 to October 10, not leaving the players with any time to settle down.
“We are in talks with Cricket West Indies. We are hoping that if CPL can be finished a few days in advance, it would help in bubble to bubble transfer of all players to Dubai and in time to complete the mandatory three-day quarantine,” a BCCI source, privy to the development, told PTI on Sunday.
If the BCCI and CWI fail to reach an agreement over dates, some of the biggest players could miss the initial few matches or may be the first half of the IPL.
The big names involved in both the T20 leagues are Mumbai Indians’ five-time IPL-winning influential all-rounder Kieron Pollard, the swashbuckling Chris Gayle, seasoned all-rounder Dwayne Bravo, Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder, Nicholas Pooran, Fabian Allen, Sunil Narine and Trinidad and Tobago coach Brendon McCullum, who is also at the helm of affairs in Kolkata Knight Riders.
The upcoming edition will be the CPL’s ninth season and will feature some of the format’s biggest superstars from across the world.
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