Monday 10th March, 2014 – Kingston, Jamaica. The Caribbean Premier League has confirmed that an impressive 228 players have registered for the 2014 Draft, which will take place in Kingston, Jamaica, on Thursday 3rd April. The number includes 121 overseas players, more than five times the number that entered the 2013 draft.
Over 100 Caribbean players have thrown their hats into the ring in the hope of earning a contract to take part in the “Biggest Party in Sportâ€, alongside a host of international stars. As well as the massive global appeal of the tournament, illustrated by the huge surge in applications from overseas players, another ringing endorsement for the CPL is the fact that the list boasts a fantastic 98% retention rate of players who played in the 2013 edition of the competition.
CPL 2014 will give cricketers from across the Caribbean the opportunity to play with and against some of the best players in the world. 107 players in the region, from up-and-coming youngsters to established Windies internationals, will go into the draft alongside big name stars from eleven nations, including Australia, New Zealand, Pakistan, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and, for the first time, England.
Australia will have the largest overseas contingent in the Draft with thirty names, including fifteen internationals, while the vast majority of Pakistan’s T20 World Cup squad has also signed up. New Zealand, South Africa and Sri Lanka are also well represented, and the Draft will include several current and former international captains, leading test stars, T20 specialists and limited overs legends. The full list of players will be announced to the public week commencing Monday 17th March.
Tom Moody, Caribbean Premier League Director of Cricket, said:
“The quality and quantity of players registering for the Draft, in particular the huge surge in overseas players signing up, is testament to the great success of last year’s competition. The high standard of cricket and the unique Caribbean carnival atmosphere have made CPL the competition that everybody wants to play in.â€
The CPL launched last year to sell-out crowds, with over 250,000 spectators attending matches across Antigua & Barbuda, Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago and St. Lucia, whilst a global TV audience of 36 million was entertained by the skills of international stars including Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard, Ricky Ponting and Muttiah Muralitharan.
The tournament returns in July and August 2014 where Jamaica Tallawahs will defend its title against the Antigua Hawksbills, Barbados Tridents, Guyana Amazon Warriors, St. Lucia Zouks and Trinidad & Tobago Red Steel.
ENDS
ABOUT THE CARIBBEAN PREMIER LEAGUE
Caribbean Premier League is a franchise-based T20 format cricket tournament that combines two of the most compelling aspects of Caribbean life – dramatic cricket and a vibrant carnival atmosphere. The inaugural CPL, billed as “the Biggest Party in Sportâ€, featured six teams competing throughout the region in August 2013 – Antigua Hawksbills, Barbados Tridents, Guyana Amazon Warriors, Jamaica Tallawahs, St. Lucia Zouks and Trinidad & Tobago Red Steel. The Jamaica Tallawahs, captained by Chris Gayle, emerged as champions.
CPL II will take place in July and August of 2014.
