The Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2021 edition will be hosted exclusively in St Kitts and Nevis, following a grand announcement from CPL a few moments ago.
The tournament is set to kick-off on Saturday, August 28 and run through to mid-September.
The final hosting rights were previously with Trinidad and Tobago but that contract expired with the hosting of the 2020 tournament, as T&T hosted the CPL entirely.
“Yesterday the federal cabinet approved the hosting of the entire 2021 CPL at Warner Park in St. Kitts,” St. Kitts’ Minister of Sport Jonel Powell announced on Tuesday morning.
He added, “We’re confident in our ability to contribute to sport and in this regard the CPL.”
In addition, Powell disclosed that the 2021 CPL will see a fan capacity of 50%, after their Government approved that capacity for all sporting events on the island as of May 15. The catch is, all in-person fans will have to be fully vaccinated with an approved COVID-19 vaccine.
See full press statement below:
The 2021 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) will take place in St Kitts & Nevis in its entirety, with all 33 games being played in the Federation. The tournament will get underway on 28 August with a similar format of games that worked so successfully in 2020 and delivered a record audience of over 500million.
Last year the tournament was successfully staged in a bio-secure bubble and the Hero CPL operations team will again be working closely with the tournament’s medical advisors, local agencies and the St Kitts & Nevis government to ensure the health and safety of all those involved in the tournament as well as the local population. St Kitts & Nevis has no COVID-19 transmission and is one of the safest places to visit in the Caribbean.
Warner Park has been the scene of some of the most iconic matches in Hero CPL history and this quick scoring ground will be an ideal venue for the tournament and fans can expect explosive cricket. From Chris Gayle’s brilliant hundred against the Jamaica Tallawahs in 2019 to Andre Russell’s even more explosive century against the Trinbago Knight Riders in 2016, Warner Park has had some classic individual performances. There have also been some amazing matches, not least the game that went to a Super Over finish between the St Kitts & Nevis Patriots and the Knight Riders in 2019.
Hero CPL has provided outstanding exposure for the Caribbean with each season bringing a huge positive economic impact and highlighting the region as one of the must visit tourism destinations. With the tournament set to take place in St Kitts & Nevis in its entirety the Federation can look forward to even more focus on what makes it one of the world’s premier tourist destinations.
This year’s tournament takes on extra significance with it taking place in the lead up to the ICC T20 World Cup and West Indies and overseas players will be using this opportunity to push for selection for their international teams.
Pete Russell, Hero CPL’s COO, said: “We are delighted to be able to announce that we will be having the Hero CPL in St Kitts & Nevis in 2021 and we would like to thank those involved in welcoming the tournament to this wonderful country. As was demonstrated during the 2020 tournament the CPL is a massive boost for the host country with US$51.5million delivered in sponsorship value for Trinidad & Tobago. We are really looking forward to giving St Kitts & Nevis the exposure they deserve.”
The Hon. Jonel Powell, St Kitts & Nevis Minister for Education, Youth, Sports and Culture, said: “We are greatly confident that the hosting of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) in St. Kitts & Nevis in 2021 will stimulate much-needed economic activity, especially for small and medium-sized local businesses. As it relates to COVID-19 we will maintain our vigilance to ensure that our health protocols are not compromised and that the country remains protected from any serious spread of the Coronavirus. It will most certainly help to revive the tourism sector that has been struggling for over a year, under the weight of the deadly COVID-19 global pandemic. Therefore, the economic impact is forecast to be significant.”
