Find out dates, fixtures, format, rules, key players, squads, TV and streaming information and much more ahead of the return of the CPL
The Caribbean Premier League is a six-team domestic T20 competition hosted across the Caribbean. It has been running since 2013.
The tournament is scheduled to start on Wednesday, August 31 with last year's champions St Kitts & Nevis Patriots taking on Jamaica Tallawahs. The competition will run slightly longer than last year, with the final being played a month later on Friday, September 30.
The 6ixty, a brand new T10 competition organised by Cricket West Indies, will precede the CPL season, expected to run from Wednesday, 24 August to Sunday, 28 August.
Following the same trend as several franchise competitions, all six teams will play against each other twice in the group stage, with teams being awarded two points for a win, one for a draw and zero for a defeat. The top four teams will qualify for the playoffs.
In a slight change to last year's knockout stage, Qualifier 1 will see the top two teams play each other, whilst third and fourth-placed teams will battle it out in an Eliminator. The winner of Qualifier 1 will progress straight to the final, with the loser meeting the winner of the Eliminator in Qualifier 2. Winner of Qualifier 2 will meet the winner of Qualifier 1 in the final to determine the winners.
Kieron Pollard is a CPL legend [Getty Images/CPL]
CPL 2022 will take place across four venues. Warner Park in St Kitts and Nevis will host the opening seven matches of the tournament. The competition will then move to St Lucia, where the next eight matches will be played at the Darren Sammy Cricket Ground. Matches 16 to 23 will be played at the Queen's Park Oval in Trinidad, before the final seven group games and playoffs are hosted in Guyana at the Providence Stadium.
There are six teams competing in CPL 2022. They are founding members Barbados Royals (formerly Barbados Tridents), Guyana Amazon Warriors, Jamaica Tallawahs, St Lucia Kings (formerly St Lucia Zouks), Trinbago Knight Riders and St Kitts & Nevis Patriots who joined the competition in 2015.
Trinbago Knight Riders are the most successful team in the CPL, lifting the trophy four times, in 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2020. Inaugural champions Jamaica Tallawahs (2013, 2016) and Barbados Royals (2014, 2019) have two titles each.
Guyana Amazon Warriors have been very unlucky throughout the history of the CPL as, despite reaching the final on five occasions, they have never walked away with the trophy.
St Kitts & Nevis Patriots are the defending champions, having beaten St Lucia Kings in last year's final. Both teams have only appeared in the final twice.
The 2021 Caribbean Premier League saw a very tight group stage, with the three top teams recording six wins and four defeats to leave them tied on 12 points. Trinbago Knight Riders topped the group by having the highest net run rate, followed by Guyana Amazon Warriors and then St Kitts & Nevis Patriots. St Lucia Kings took the final qualification spot with 10 points. Jamaica Tallawahs missed out by just two points, with Barbados Royals finishing last by only managing to win three of their 10 games.
Kings surprised everyone by beating favourites Trinbago Knight Riders by 21 runs to set up a clash in the final with the Patriots. The Patriots had impressively chased down 179 with 13 balls to spare against Guyana Amazon Warriors.
St Kitts & Nevis Patriots triumphed in a thrilling final as they won off the very last ball. Dominic Drakes was instrumental in the Patriots' victory, as he made an unbeaten 48 runs off 24 balls.
Roston Chase was the tournament's top run-scorer for runners-up Kings, he made 446 runs at an average of 49.55. Ravi Rampaul for Trinbago Knight Riders took 19 scalps across the competition at an average of 16.21, finishing as the leading wicket-taker.
South Africa dominate the overseas signings, with fan favourites Imran Tahir (Guyana) and Faf du Plessis (St Lucia) making a return to this yea'’s competition. Tabraiz Shamsi will join Tahir at the Warriors to make up an exciting leg-spinning duo, with David Miller and Quinton de Kock signing for Barbados Royals.
Other notable overseas players include New Zealand trio Colin Munro, Tim Seifert (both Trinbago) and David Wiese (St Lucia); prolific Pakistan bowler Mohammed Amir (Jamaica); and promising talent from Singapore, Tim David, who will appear for St Lucia.
Overall, there will be as many as 30 overseas signings. The players consist of 11 South Africans, three apiece for Pakistan, New Zealand and Sri Lanka, two for Afghanistan and Ireland and then one each for Nepal, Australia, Singapore, Namibia and the USA. There will be no English players who will compete in this year's tournament.
Rovman Powell will be crucial for Jamaica Tallawahs [Getty Images/CPL]
Jamaica Tallawahs - Rovman Powell
A middle-order batter who occasionally bowls medium pace, Powell is known for his big hitting. He has been a consistent performer domestically when playing for Jamaica, with a List A average of 30.28. He has been in and out of the West Indies team but has featured in their three most recent T20 matches against India. If he gets time at the crease, he can be an extremely destructive player.
Barbados Royals - Quinton de Kock
Making his debut in the CPL, the South African wicket-keeper batsmen is sure to set this tournament alight. Despite three consecutive low scores against England in the T20 series, his average in the format sits at a very respectable 31.86, with five centuries. The Royals will hope De Kock provides them with a dynamic edge.
Guyana Amazon Warriors - Imran Tahir
Tahir is one of the great entertainers. With his unique bowling action and animated celebration, Tahir is a fan favourite and a fierce and respected competitor. He provided a moment of history last year as he became the first bowler to take a hat-trick in the inaugural edition of The Hundred. He has been at his best in recent years. This will be his third consecutive CPL with Guyana Amazon Warriors. Look out for his 'marathon' celebration.
St Kitts & Nevis Patriots - Dominic Drakes
Named player of the match in last year's final, Dominic Drakes brought the trophy home by scoring a magnificent 48 not out from 24 balls. Moving from Barbados Royals in 2019, Drakes has been a key component for the Patriots, both with his bowling and his batting.
St Lucia Kings - Roston Chase
A player who was once a pivotal spin-bowler in the West Indies Test team, Chase has converted into an excellent allrounder for the shortest format of the game. Top scorer in last year's CPL with 446 runs, Chase powered his team to the final and despite their agonising defeat, the man from Barbados was awarded player of the tournament. Fans will be hoping that he can replicate this form once again, in the hope that the Kings can go one step further and claim their first ever title.
Trinbago Knight Riders - Kieron Pollard
Kieron Pollard is a CPL legend. He led the Royals to the title in 2014 and then captained the Knight Riders to their fourth trophy in 2020. He has a T20 average of 31.2 with a high score of 104, and an ability to hit balls to all parts. The Knight Riders will have a very good chance at making it five CPL titles if their captain has a good tournament.
Imran Tahir is established at Guyana Amazon Warriors [Getty Images/CPL]
Fans in the UK will be able to watch every live match live on BT Sport, as part of their multi-year deal with the broadcaster.
Elsewhere in the world, the following broadcasters will have rights to the CPL:
USA: Willow TV
Australia: Fox Sports
New Zealand: Sky Sports NZ
South Africa: SuperSport
India: FanCode
Pan-Caribbean: SportsMax TV
Canada: Willow TV
Trinidad and Tobago: CNC 3
Guyana: E-Networks
Dominican Republic: CDN SportsMax Espanol
Grenada: SportsMax
Barbados: TV8
St Lucia: HTS
Antigua and Barbuda: CNS
St Vincent and the Grenadines: GBN
Bangladesh: My Sports
UAE: Etisalat
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