Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2020 took its first steps ahead of the season, the teams established the squads for the tournament with all players and coaching staff now in Trinidad and Tobago on Friday.
“The whole CPL cohort will be in strict quarantine for the first 14 days they are in the country. There were three players and one coach who have not been able to travel as a result of the stringent protocols to ensure the safety of the CPL cohort and the population of Trinidad and Tobago,” CPL said in a statement.
Everyone was tested 72 hours before they travelled to confirm that all members who are travelling are virus-free. One player tested positive for COVID-19 and he had been training with two others so all three were withdrawn. One coach tested positive before he departed so he was also not able to travel.
“These withdrawals are a sign of the testing protocols that CPL put in place working as they should, and while it is disappointing for the players and coaches involved it is vital that CPL does nothing to compromise the safety of all those involved in the tournament and the public of Trinidad,” Michael Hall, CPL Tournament Operations Director, said.
“There have been other changes to the squads and support staff as a result of other logistical challenges to the difficulty of travelling at the current time,” he added.
The final squads are as follows:
Jamaica Tallawahs- Andre Russell, Sandeep Lamichhane, Carlos Brathwaite, Rovman Powell, Glenn Phillips, Chadwick Walton, Oshane Thomas, Asif Ali, Fidel Edwards, Preston McSween, Andre McCarthy, Nicholas Kirton, Jeavor Royal, Nkrumah Bonner, Veerasammy Permaul, Ryan Persaud
St Lucia Zouks- Mohammad Nabi, Daren Sammy, Andre Fletcher, Kesrick Williams, Obed McCoy, Rahkeem Cornwall, Mark Deyal, Noor Ahmad, Kimani Melius, Leniko Boucher, Kavem Hodge, Javelle Glen, Saad Bin Zafar
Guyana Amazon Warriors- Imran Tahir, Nicholas Pooran, Brandon King, Ross Taylor, Shimron Hetmyer, Chris Green, Qais Ahmad, Keemo Paul, Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd, Naveen Ul Haq, Chandrapaul Hemraj, Kevin Sinclair, Ashmeade Nedd, Odean Smith, Anthony Bramble, Jasdeep Singh
Barbados Tridents- Rashid Khan, Jason Holder, Marcus Stoinis, Corey Anderson, Mitchell Santner, Johnson Charles, Shai Hope, Najibullah Zadran, Scott Kuggeleijn, Hayden Walsh Jr, Ashley Nurse, Jonathan Carter, Raymon Reifer, Kyle Mayers, Joshua Bishop, Nyeem Young, Justin Greaves, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Shayan Jahangir
St Kitts & Nevis Patriots- Chris Lynn, Ben Dunk, Evin Lewis, Fabian Allen, Rassie van der Dussen, Sohail Tanvir, Ish Sodhi, Sheldon Cottrell, Denesh Ramdin, Rayad Emrit, Dennis Bulli, Alzarri Joseph, Joshua de Silva, Dominic Drakes, Colin Archibald, Jon Russ Jaggesar, Sunny Sohal
Trinbago Knight Riders- Dwayne Bravo, Kieron Pollard, Sunil Narine, Colin Munro, Fawad Ahmed, Darren Bravo, Lendl Simmons, Khary Pierre, Khary Pierre, Tim Seifert, Sikandar Raza, Anderson Phillip, Pravin Tambe, Jayden Seales, Amir Jangoo, Tion Webster, Akeal Hosein, Muhammad Ali Khan.
The CPL is thoroughly equipped to become the first major cricket league to begin amid the coronavirus pandemic from August 18 while the final of the tournament will be played on September 10. The whole tournament will feature 33 games played in Trinidad and Tobago across two stadiums and behind closed doors.
All the foreign partakers will be tested for Covid-19 before leaving and then upon arrival followed by two more tests which will be done after a period of 7 and 14 days.
The tournament will take place in a bio-secure environment with a series of severe rules in place to shield those involved in the tournament and the extensive population from the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
This is the first time an Indian cricketer will be playing in the CPL. Mumbai’s 48-year-old leg-spinner Praveen Tambe, who recently retired from all forms of domestic cricket, will be playing for TKR.
The first match will see last year’s runners-up, the Guyana Amazon Warriors, taking on the Trinbago Knight Riders on August 18.
