vinode.mamchan@guardian.co.tt
The Caribbean Premier League (CPL) will decide on Friday when it will stage the draft for this year's tournament. This according to the manager of the Guyana Amazon Warriors Omar Khan.
Last year, CPL held the draft in London just before the International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup. However, this time around they may have to host it via Zoom technology.
Khan said: "The draft for the CPL will be confirmed after meeting on May 1."
Recently Chief Operations Officer (C00) of CPL, Pete Russell, stated that with the COVID-19 pandemic going on, the start is not confirmed but they are hoping to get the tournament off as soon as they get the all-clear from Cricket West Indies (CWI).
He said that CPL will be working with the board to get a window for the tournament, hoping that it does not clash with the Indian Premier League (IPL). He added that if the tournament does not start in August, it can start in September, if not it can be played in December.
On March 31 the six franchises had to submit the names of the players they were going to retain and a lot of attention has been placed on the fact that Chris Gayle has left the Jamaica Tallawahs for the St Lucia Zouks. Gayle sent out via Youtube a scathing attack on Tallawahs' manager Jeff Miller and assistant coach Ramnaresh Sarwan that has grabbed headlines.
Meanwhile, Guardian Media Sports reported yesterday that the Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) will keep the core of their team for this year's tournament.
If the tournament comes off this year, it is likely to be played in T&T and two other venues in the region. One is likely to be Barbados as Russell indicated that given the structure of the stadium it is possible to host crowds and still obey the social distancing that is required during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The final is carded for the Brian Lara Cricket Academy (BLCA) in Tarouba, San Fernando for the third straight year. TKR won the title the first time the final was played at the BLCA in 2017 and repeated as champion in 2018.
Last year, TKR was denied the hattrick by Barbados Tridents which went on to take the crown, defeating Amazon Warriors in the title-match.