The new Caribbean Premier League season gets underway on Thursday night when once again six franchises go in search of glory in what is usually a really exciting campaign as a month of T20 cricket takes place in party like atmospheres.
The Guyana Amazon Warriors finally got their hands on this title a year ago and they will be in the field looking to make a successful defence of it but four other sides return to try and take it from them as do a new franchise.
Recent Winners
2023 – Guyana Amazon Warriors
2022 – Jamaica Tallawahs
2021 – St Kitts and Nevis Patriots
2020 – Trinbago Knight Riders
2019 – Barbados Tridents
2018 – Trinbago Knight Riders
2017 – Trinbago Knight Riders
2016 – Jamaica Tallawahs
2015 – Trindad and Tobago Red Steel
2014 – Barbados Tridents
The Format
The six teams in the tournament each play each other twice over the regular season part of the competition. This year the home and away is back as all six teams are hosting matches unlike in recent seasons where Jamaica was unavailable. At the end of the league phase the top four teams go into the latter stages with first playing second for a direct route into the final before third play fourth in the first knockout game. The loser of the first match faces the winner of the second to determine the other finalist. The final of the competition takes place on October 6.
The Teams
The Trinbago Knight Riders are the 13/5 favourites to win this title for the first time since 2020. They are certainly not going to suffer from a lack of talent because they have one of the most loaded squads in the history of this competition. Nicholas Pooran is probably the most dangerous batter in world cricket at the minute and the likes of Sunil Narine, Kieron Pollard and Andre Russell have all shown their class over the course of the last few months in various competitions. There is no doubt the Knight Riders are the team to beat.
Barbados Royals begin the tournament as the 7/2 second favourites to get the job done. They will be utilising a new opening pair after Kyle Mayers left the franchise in the close season but the regulars such as Rovman Powell, Jason Holder and Obed McCoy are in place. Rakheem Cornwall has been picked up in the draft while Quinton de Kock should enjoy batting conditions at the Kensington Oval. An improvement is needed in the Royals but there is a chance they could find it with their new personnel.
St Lucia Kings are a general 4/1 shot to win the tournament this year. They have some good cricketers in their ranks and if Faf du Plessis and Johnson Charles go well as an opening pair then they are going to have some decent platforms to build on but there is no doubt that the late withdrawal of Heinrich Klaasen dents their plans a little. Tim Siefert has come in as a replacement but while he is a solid acquisition he lacks the brutal fireworks of the South African. The bowling should have the Kings competitive.
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The defending champions Guyana Amazon Warriors are 9/2 to make a successive defence of the title. They are going to have to play the first week or so of the season without opening batter Saim Ayub and that is a blow but the likes of Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Shai Hope, Shimron Hetmyer, Azam Khan and Keemo Paul should be able to make up for that. The big question is whether at the age of 45, Imran Tahir can continue to be effective. With Shamar Joseph and Gudakesh Motie in their ranks they have the attack to be more than competitive.
St Kitts and Nevis Patriots are 11/2 to win the tournament. They have done some good work in the close season with Kyle Mayers and Odean Smith adding a lot of firepower to the batting while Rilee Rossouw, Tristan Stubbs and Sherfane Rutherford are all solid hitters of a cricket ball. The injury to Wanindu Hasaranga isn’t ideal but Sikandar Raza and Nuwan Thushara look like solid overseas options. This shouldn’t be another one win season for the Patriots.
The Antigua and Barbuda Falcons are the new team in the tournament, replacing the Jamaica Tallawahs but while the name has changed a lot of the Jamaica players are in this side. Brandon King, Chris Green and Imad Wasim are some of the Tallawahs players who are in the Falcons squad. They are 12/1 outsiders to win the competition and you would imagine they will need another season to build up the sort of squad that can do that but there is enough fireworks to take a team or two down with them this term.
Betting
This could be an interesting tournament. I say that because we know that home advantage is so important in it and the two outsiders are the ones to play their home block first so they have the chance to steal a march in the league table. They don’t just get to do that but it means that their schedule in the back end of the tournament is very light so when the playoffs come around if they get in they’ll be fresher than most of the teams.
That makes me think that the team to be on are the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots. I think we should say that the team to beat are the Trinbago Knight Riders but they have some aging players in their ranks and with matches coming along fairly regular in this tournament that might count them out. The Patriots get their heavy run when they are at their freshest, their squad looks primed to go well at Warner Park and there is enough in their ranks to take advantage of tired pitches towards the end of the tournament. At 11/2 they are the pick.
Tips
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