CPL draft attracts global attention

Montego Bay (Jamaica), June 7 (IANS/CMC) Organisers of the first ever Caribbean Premier League (CPL) say they were "overwhelmed" by regional and international response to the player's draft ahead of the tournament which starts next month.

Officials have reported that the CPL website was blown away by thousands of visitors which caused a temporary slow down for a short period, reports CMC.

They say the buzz created by the draft Wednesday showed the mass appeal the CPL will have across the globe.

"We were overwhelmed by the level of interest in the draft, not only regionally but internationally, evidenced by the huge volume of traffic on our website and social media sites," said Damian O' Donohoe, CPL CEO Thursday.

"It's obvious that the world is eager to see who's 'coming to play' this summer, and we are looking forward to an exciting tournament now that we know exactly who will be playing on each team."

West Indies Franchise players in London at the time of the draft were connected to their selection team by Skype.

Fans around the world applauded the choice of the team selection panels and debated the compositions as they monitored the draft on CPL website, facebook page and twitter account.

There is a 24-hour window during which teams can make trades amongst themselves, noted O'Donohoe, and any changes will be announced shortly after they are made.

"Obviously this was our first draft for the Caribbean Premier League and we are pleased to say that the process went extremely well," added O'Donohoe.

"Each team was well prepared and made very thoughtful, strategic selections but they also enjoyed the experience."

The inaugural Caribbean Premier League starts July 30 in Barbados and concludes Aug 24 in Trinidad.

--IANS/CMC

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