PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad - The Caribbean Premier League, which bowls off in Barbados on July 30, could bring many benefits to the sport and the region. For West Indies cricket, which has spent the better part of the last decade in the doldrums, there are great prospects for re-energising players and the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB). The WICB will earn US$4.5 million each year from its deal with Verus International, owners of the CPL. This is in contrast to what occurred previously, when the WICB was losing US$3 million a year in the staging of a regional T20 competition because there were no sponsors for that event.
Development of regional players will be another positive from this new professional league. Regional cricketers now have more opportunities to develop their skills in this shortest form of the game and younger players will get an opportunity to learn from their senior Windies counterparts, as well as international stars. They are also in line for attractive financial benefits as regional retainer contracts are being signed with a large pool of players to the tune of US$360,000 annually, allowing more Caribbean cricketers to focus fully on their sporting careers without the previous worry about not being adequately compensated. This should be enthusiastically welcomed by the West Indies Players’ Association (Wipa) which has waged long, bitter battles with the WICB to secure improved conditions for its members.