2016 season will help boost Windies cricket, believes CPL CEO

Damien O'Donohoe, CEO of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), believes that this year's tournament will be the biggest and best yet as the 'biggest party in sport' welcomes some of the most illustrious names in world cricket.

Dwayne Bravo's Trinbago Knight Riders will start their defence of the CPL title against the West Indies' World T20 winning captain Darren Sammy's St. Lucia Zouks at Queen's Park Oval on Wednesday.

O'Donohoe, who was speaking at the launch of this year's CPL here in Harvard Cricket Club,said that the future of CPL is in good hands as the internationally renowned competition bids to extend its reach, both locally and globally in the weeks ahead.

"The CPL continues to grow at a fast pace and we are hugely excited about the forthcoming campaign. Over the close season the team has worked hard to help deliver an outstanding product for our incredibly loyal supporters across all six teams. And with a new territory opening up in Lauderhill, Florida from 28-31 July, these are exciting times for the growth of cricket in the West Indies," O' Donohoe said.

"This year will be the most evenly-matched tournament that we've ever had. All six teams have recruited strongly across the international markets as well as in the West Indies' own thriving domestic competitions. With the introduction of the six 'marquee' players - AB de Villiers, Faf du Plessis, Martin Guptill, Brendon McCullum, Kumar Sangakkara and Shane Watson - in each of the franchises, it will undoubtedly add another dimension to the competitiveness and quality of cricket on show," he added.

"After the heroics of the West Indies men's, women's and Under-19 world title winning squads in recent months, it is a golden era for cricket in the Caribbean and I have no doubt that the future of the game is in good hands.

Each of our six teams will include an Under-19 representative, reaffirming our commitment to encouraging up-and-coming talent, while the addition of the ICC Americas representatives will also help extend CPL's reach across North America.