CASTRIES, St. Lucia – CRICKET West Indies (CWI) today (March 18) confirmed the first list of players selected for the regional T20 competition, with both Mikyle and Jeremiah Louis earning spots on the Leeward Islands Thunder squad.
In a statement outlining the initial wave of selections and the criteria used, CWI explained that the players were chosen under a "protected players" list, which allows each team to confirm seven players before the official draft.
“As per tournament regulations, each team is allowed to protect seven cricketers, with a maximum of three players aged between 27 and 29. The remaining seven players per squad will be selected during the draft, and they must all be 26 years old or younger. Recognizing their importance to the T20 game, CWI has also mandated that one of the protected seven players must be a leg spinner,” CWI said in a media statement.
Under the rules agreed upon by CWI and the Caribbean Premier League, the tournament will feature emerging talent with limited professional experience—specifically, players who have participated in fewer than 40 List A T20 matches and fewer than 10 International T20s.
The seven players selected for the Leeward Islands Thunder are Jeremiah Louis (28), Mikyle Louis (24), Kacey Carty (27), Kofi James (27), Karima Gore (26), Jewel Andrew (18), and Micah McKenzie (18).
The West Indies Breakout League is set to take place from April 25 to May 10, featuring 17 matches, all hosted at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Trinidad.
