BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – WITH the 2019 Caribbean Premier League Draft set to take place on Wednesday (May 22), organisers have confirmed that over 500 players from across the globe have registered.
In a media statement, organisers said the final list of players who have made themselves available for the 2019 Hero Caribbean Premier League has been sent to teams ahead of the draft.
According to the organisers, the number of players that have put their names forward for the draft have again increased, as well as the number of countries from which the overseas players are drafted.
CPL said: “A record 536 players from 20 overseas countries and the West Indies are available to be picked by the six Hero CPL teams. Included in the list are some of the best T20 players in the world with the likes of Alex Hales, Rashid Khan, Shakib al Hasan, Jofra Archer and JP Duminy putting their names forward along with Caribbean stars such as Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Shimron Hetmyer and Shai Hope.”
This year’s tournament has been shifted from its usual August-September window to September- October time period to facilitate the hosting of the India/West Indies series.
Prior to the draft, each franchise will have the option to retain and/or acquire a maximum of six players, although there is no obligation to do so.
The players they can potentially retain are as follows:
Minimum of three West Indian players, a maximum of four
• Maximum of one overseas player, reduced to none if four West Indians are retained;
• A Marquee Player whether retained or acquired; and
• An ICC Americas Player, whether retained or acquired.
All retentions will be announced during the live broadcast of the player draft, which will be broadcast on the Hero CPL social media channels from 2:00 p.m. GMT on May22.
Speaking about the player response to this year’s draft, Michael Hall, Hero CPL Tournament Operations Director, said: “The fact that so many players have registered for our draft is a testament to the stature of our league. Playing cricket in the Caribbean is something that all players look forward to, and the CPL combines that allure with a high standard of cricket. We expect that this year’s tournament will be no different.”
