Sport & Entertainment
| Apr 27, 2021

St Kitts and Nevis to host all 33 games of CPL 2021

/ Our Today

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Warner Park Cricket Stadium (Photo: St Kitts and Nevis Photo Stream for Flickr)

St Kitts and Nevis will host all 33 games of the 2021 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL), scheduled to bowl off on August 28, with a similar format of games that worked so successfully in 2020 and delivered a record audience of over 500 million.

“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,” said CPL COO Pete Russell.

“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.”

Pete Russell, co-founder and Chief Operations Officer of CPL T20. (Photo contributed)

The decision by the organisers to have St Kitts and Nevis host the entire tournament in a similar manner to what obtained in Trinidad and Tobago in 2020, has been hailed by the Jonel Powell, St Kitts & Nevis Minister for Sports and Culture.

“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,” Minister Powell said in response to the announcement.

“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.”

Federal portfolio minister for Sports and Culture in St Kitts, Jonel Powell. File photo taken in August 2020. (Photo: Nevis Island Administration)

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..

Fabian Allen of St Kitts and Nevis Patriots celebrates hitting the winning runs during the Hero Caribbean Premier League match between St Kitts Nevis Patriots and Jamaica Tallawahs at Warner Park Sporting Complex in September 2019 in Basseterre, St Kitts. (Photo: Ashley Allen for CPL T20)

There have also been some amazing matches, not least the game that went to a Super Over finish between 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 as West Indies and overseas players will be using this opportunity to push for selection for their international teams. 

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