Sony SIX (a part of Sony Pictures Networks), India’s premier sports entertainment channel, has bagged the exclusive broadcasting rights to the highly anticipated Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL).
This will be the third consecutive year that the channel will be telecasting the tournament, which boasts of cricket stars such as Chris Gayle, AB De Villiers, Brendon McCullum and Dwayne Bravo. The Hero Caribbean Premier League will commence on 30th June (29th June, Caribbean time) and culminate on 8th August 2016 and will broadcast live on Sony SIX in the Indian sub-continent comprising of India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Nepal and Maldives.
The tournament will be held across six venues in the Caribbean, and for the first time six fixtures will be played in Lauderhill, Florida, USA. This year the teams will include the likes of Jamaica Tallawahs, Trinbago Knight Riders, Barbados Tridents, Guyana Amazon Warriors, St Lucia Zouks and St. Kitts & Nevis Patriots, all battling it out in an initial group stage format before progressing to knock out matches. The opening match of the league will see defending champions Trinbago Knight Riders take on the St. Lucia Zouks on 30th June at 6:30 AM (IST).
Known for its carnival-like atmosphere when it comes to cricket, Trinidad & Tobago will once again look at re-creating the magic for its home team. The Trinbago Knight Riders are all set to defend their title this year by acquiring some of the biggest names in cricket such as New Zealand’s Brendon McCullum, South Africa’s Hashim Amla and West Indies’ Sunil Narine. Skipper Dwayne Bravo is confident about his team defending their title this season.
Building on the success of the recently concluded IPL, SPN is aiming at bringing the flair from the home of the current World T20 Champions, West Indies, to viewers of the Indian subcontinent through another fast-paced domestic league. The weekends will allow fans to watch some of the matches on primetime hours – 9:30 PM (IST).
The network has also acquired the digital rights for the tournament and will live stream the matches on Sony LIV.
Rajesh Kaul, President, Distribution & Sports Business, Sony Pictures Networks said: “India has always been receptive to the dynamic format of T20 cricket and we are excited to broadcast the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) for the third consecutive time. CPL showcases some of the biggest talent on the cricketing stage and promises to be a treat for the cricket fans in India. Furthermore, fans can catch the action on-the-go on our digital platform, Sony LIV.”
Pete Russell, Chief Operations Officer, CPL added: “We are delighted to continue our Broadcast partnership with Sony Six which will enable millions of supporters of CPL across the Indian sub-continent to follow the biggest party in sport. Indian followers are huge supporters of CPL and there will no doubt be keen interest in the fortunes of players who have graced the IPL with distinction for many years; including the likes of AB de Villiers, Brendon McCullum, Shakib Al Hasan, Dale Steyn, Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo and Sunil Narine amongst many others. In addition, there will be further intriguing sub-plots involving the Barbados Tridents under the stewardship of Dr Vijay Mallya aiming to win back the title they last won in 2014, coming up against the Shah Rukh Khan owned Trinbago Knight Riders. It promises to be our biggest and best CPL yet and we’re delighted so many fans will be able to join us across Asia.” (cplt20)
