The Caribbean Premier League makes its return to action with Jamaica Tallawahs looking to defend their third title.
The vast majority of West Indies’ stars will be on show, with many of them carrying the momentum of a string of superb results against India in the t20I series win.
Where is the Caribbean Premier League 2023?
The CPL 2023 will be played in all six Caribbean countries represented within the six-team tournament, apart from Jamaica.
However, instead of a traditional home and away format whereby teams play half their matches at home and half away, CPL 2023 will see each venue host consecutive matches.
The first six matches will be played at the Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium in St Lucia, with the Kings playing four times in that period.
The next six games move to Warner Park in Basseterre, St Kitts, with again the hosts playing four of the six. Matches 13 to 18 will take place in Bridgetown, Barbados; the Royals will play four matches at their Kensington Oval home.
Trinidad plays host to the next six matches, with Queens Park Oval the venue for two matches before things move to the Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba, Trinidad for the next four with Knight Riders playing twice at each venue.
The final six league matches of the season will take place in Guyana at the Providence Stadium. The action will then remain in Guyana, with the playoff matches and the Final set to take place at the home of the Amazon Warriors.
What is the format for the CPL 2023?
As is customary with the majority of t20 franchise tournaments around the world, the CPL follows a familiar structure. The league stage sees each team play the other five twice, totalling ten matches.
The top four sides qualify for the playoffs, where the top two teams play each other for a place in the Final in the first Qualifier, with the loser getting a second chance in the second Qualifier.
Third and fourth also play each other in the Eliminator, with a place in the second Qualifier up for grabs. The winner of the Eliminator and the loser of Qualifier 1 will then play once more to play the winner of Qualifier 1 in the Final. This system is in place in almost all of the top leagues currently.
Barbados Royals CPL 2023 preview
Potential starting XI: Kyle Mayers, Rahkeem Cornwall, Laurie Evans, Alick Athanaze, Rovman Powell, Donovan Ferreira, Jason Holder, Roelof van der Merwe, Obed McCoy, Maheesh Theekshana, Ramon Simmonds
The Royals look to have a strong, balanced side that has been strengthened with the signing of Powell, who captained the Tallawahs to the 2022 title. Mayers has been excellent in the past 18 months and showed his worth in the 2023 Indian Premier League with Lucknow Super Giants.
West Indies international Athanaze has also been added having impressed in recent matches with India, albeit in different formats. Quite incredibly, the 24-year-old has still not played an official t20 match.
On the other end of the scale, Van der Merwe, Evans and Holder represent tremendous experience in the t20 format, while Theekshana has shown himself to be one of the premier bowlers in world cricket in the past two years.
They will dovetail nicely with the likes of Athanaze, Simmonds and South African Ferreira. The bowling unit looks to be nicely balanced, with van der Merwe and Cornwall providing good spin options behind main man Theekshana.
McCoy is a top option throughout the innings, as is Holder. Mayers and Powell will also be able to provide some useful medium pace, though Ferreira may not be an option as he could be likely to keep wicket.
One further young talent looking to make his CPL debut is 20-year-old former West Indies u19 international Kevin Wickham who, like Athanaze, has also not played an official t20 yet. There could be scope for him to get a chance in the top order if they do not opt to open with Cornwall.
Guyana Amazon Warriors CPL 2023 preview
Potential starting XI: Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Shai Hope, Azam Khan, Shimron Hetmyer, Keemo Paul, Dwaine Pretorius, Romario Shepherd, Odean Smith, Kevin Sinclair, Gudakesh Motie, Imran Tahir
Arguably the most exciting-looking side in the competition, the Amazon Warriors are stacked full of brilliant talent. They have two truly excellent young overseas batters in Gurbaz and Azam who will provide plenty of aggression and eye-catching strokes.
In an ideal world, all four would play in the same side but that seems unlikely, unless they plan on having Hetmyer at six and leave out one of Pretorius or Tahir.
They perhaps do not have the depth in their domestic bowling ranks for that, though, so will likely need the experience of the one of the two South Africans to cover.
Guyana boast three of the West Indies’ top all-round talents in Paul, Shepherd and Smith who are all capable of winning games on their day. Their consistency has often been what has held them back, though, despite their immense talent.
The batting does look supremely exciting, with the aforementioned overseas players alongside Hetymer and the three explosive all-rounders.
There are solid bowling options, though the only true seam options are the all-round trio. The potential spin trio of Sinclair, Motie and Tahir will be dangerous on certain pitches and conditions.
Jamaica Tallawahs CPL 2023 preview
Potential starting XI: Brandon King, Alex Hales, Shamarh Brooks, Raymon Reifer, Amir Jangoo, Imad Wasim, Fabian Allen, Chris Green, Mohammad Amir, Hayden Walsh Jr, Nicholson Gordon
The makeup of a potential Tallawahs XI makes for an intriguing prospect, with a seemingly strong focus on spin. The squad composition is one that comes with clarity, though, as Imad and Green have both been overseas options for the Tallawahs for a while now.
Allen is the third of the spin-based all-rounders alongside the aforementioned overseas duo, while Walsh Jr gives the defending champions an extra quality option having arrived from the Royals.
Hales is a tremendous pickup for the 2022 winners and he will likely form a strong opening partnership with King, who himself is in some good form. West Indies internationals Brooks and Reifer will also present good options in the top order.
Amir is another overseas player with familiarity to the Jamaica-based franchise and he will be the premier quick for them, a responsibility he has shown he is more than ok with.
St Kitts & Nevis Patriots CPL 2023 preview
Potential starting XI: Evin Lewis, Andre Fletcher, Dewald Brevis, Sherfane Rutherford, Ambati Rayudu, Tristan Stubbs, Corbin Bosch, Dominic Drakes, Yannic Cariah, Oshane Thomas, Sheldon Cottrell
This looks, on paper at least, to be one of the strongest and balanced teams in the CPL 2023. The Patriots have a lot of bases covered, from their batting order to the makeup of their bowling attack.
Lewis and Fletcher are a top domestic t20 duo and have heaps of short form experience, particularly in the CPL.
Brevis is one of the most talented young batters in world cricket, already racking up significant match time around the world and recently earning a maiden national team call-up with South Africa.
Rutherford is also a top player who provides a left-hand option, but Rayudu is truly one of the more eye-catching additions of this year’s CPL.
He may not be one of the true big Indian names, but he has had significant success over an extended period in the IPL and brings huge experience and quality. He is one of the very few Indian players who have signed for overseas t20 franchise leagues.
Of course, this is because he is on the tailend of his career and has otherwise retired, but he is coming off the back of a triumphant IPL campaign with Chennai Super Kings.
South Africans Bosch and Stubbs will provide good batting options lower down the order, as well as quality with the ball. Drakes is one of a number of talented players on the cusp of becoming a regular player for the West Indies.
Patriots will also be able to call upon another South African all-rounder in George Linde, as well as young Afghanistan leg-spinner Izharulhaq Naveed. Kofi James is another youthful talent who could be set for a breakthrough tournament.
St Lucia Kings CPL 2023 preview
Potential starting XI: Faf du Plessis, Johnson Charles, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Sean Williams, Sikandar Raza, Roston Chase, Matthew Forde, Alzarri Joseph, Khary Pierre, Peter Hatzoglou, Jeavor Royal
The Kings have created an intriguing squad, with a classic mix of quality, experience and young talent. The batting looks strong, with du Plessis and Charles set to combine for what is likely to be a considerable opening partnership.
The overseas trio of Rajapaksa and Zimbabwe’s Raza and Williams will form an intent-filled middle order, with the latter finally able to truly prove his worth in a franchise tournament.
West Indies international Chase is also on hand to beef up the batting and could even come in early, while talented young all-rounder Forde will be looking to build upon the name he is making for himself.
The bowling doesn’t quite look as strong as the batting, but there are at least seven options to choose from. The attack will be spearheaded by West Indies pacer Joseph, who has proven to be a top class performer in the last 18 months or so.
Raza and Chase will provide off-break options along with their batting, with Williams also capable of turning his arm over. Royal and Pierre have picked up good experience in the CPL in recent years, while Hatzoglou is a fairly raw talent from Australia but one that keeps improving with his leg-spin.
Trinbago Knight Riders CPL 2023 preview
Potential starting XI: Martin Guptill, Sunil Narine, Rilee Rossouw, Nicholas Pooran, Kieron Pollard, Andre Russell, Dwayne Bravo, Akeal Hosein, Noor Ahmad, Jayden Seales, Matheesha Pathirana
This Knight Riders outfit looks exceptional, with the cream of the crop when it comes to stars of West Indian cricket in the last decade or so. Narine, Russell, Pollard and Bravo are all t20 royalty and will all likely be at least in the conversation of greatest t20 players of all time.
Along with that incredible quartet, more short term experience comes in the form of overseas stars Guptill and Rossouw. Pooran is one of the most dangerous batters in the world, while Hosein has shown himself to be more than a handy cricketer both internationally and in franchise leagues.
Knight Riders also lay claim to two of the best young prospects in the game in Sri Lanka pacer Pathirana and Afghanistan’s Noor, both of whom played critical roles in their respective sides’ routes the 2023 IPL Final.
Seales is also a highly-rated young quick bowler who is knocking on the door of the international side, completing what looks like a formidable team. Experienced ‘keeper-batter Chadwick Walton is also an option for the top order, while Mark Deyal has extensive CPL experience.
The CPL introduces red card system to tackle slow over rates
The CPL is rewriting cricket's rulebook with an innovative strategy to tackle slow over rates – the introduction of red cards. Slow over rates have long been a thorn in the side of the game, extending match durations and testing fans' patience. The CPL's red card system seeks to change this narrative.
The red card system, inspired by football but tailored for cricket, aims to penalise teams consistently struggling with over rate maintenance. It is not just the red card that is being introduced, though.
A fielder will be required to move into the 30-yard circle at the start of the 18th over if the bowling side are behind the rate. If still behind at the start of the 19th, a second fielder will be brought in. The red card is introduced should a bowling team be behind the rate at the beginning of the final over.
To help combat any teams seeking an advantage while batting in terms of perhaps wasting time in order to produce a penalty for the bowling side, five penalty runs will be taken should a batting side be found guilty of such.
If a team fails to bowl their overs in times, it receives a red card, leading to fielding restriction reductions that put pressure on them. This introduces a new dimension to gameplay, compelling strategic balance and faster execution.
Beyond gameplay, the red card system influences player conduct and team dynamics. It fosters discipline and teamwork, pushing captains to lead effectively to avoid penalties. This transformative change not only elevates cricket quality but also moulds strong leadership qualities.
The CPL's groundbreaking move signifies cricket's willingness to evolve. By addressing a long-standing issue creatively, it sets a precedent for other leagues. The visualised impact diagram shows how the system maintains game pace.
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