Ambitious plans to expand globally – quickly and efficiently – remains at the fore of tournament CEO Damien O’Donohoe’s jam-packed agenda, as the third edition of the ever-evolving Caribbean Premier League roars into action.
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Indian Premier League franchise Kolkata Knight Riders’ stake in Trinidad and Tobago Red Steel and aspirations of organising fixtures in both the USA and UAE, embody the Irishman’s bid to have the event both recognised and respected on the world stage.
When it comes to taking the game global, the CPL has plenty of positive examples to follow. IPL fixtures were held in the UAE in 2014 and South Africa in 2009, while the former has been Pakistan’s adopted home for the last six years and New Zealand and Sri Lanka met for a Twenty20 International series in Florida in 2010. The West Indies, too, have played in the east coast region.
“The new relationship between Kolkata and Trinidad and Tobago just goes to show how much our brand has developed over the last couple of years. We spoke to KKR in year one and we made some big promises. KKR and, for that matter, many others didn’t think we could deliver. I think we have delivered now, ensuring a very successful tournament,” O’Donohoe told Sport360.
“America has also has always been on our horizon. There’s the Central Broward Regional Park Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, where we plan to host some games – and perhaps at some other locations. Maybe we will do the opening games in Dubai, which we have spoken to the Dubai Sports Council about.”
Higher profile than domestic T20 competitions in South Africa, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and England, but admittedly inferior – in status and budget – to Australia’s Big Bash League, the CPL boasts plenty of unique elements while confidently emulating those already successful elsewhere.
Gorgeous weather here in Barbados, and lots of excitement for the #CPL15 with the @BIMTridents #BiggestPartyInSport pic.twitter.com/0hORQXFIEg
— Shoaib Malik (@realshoaibmalik) June 18, 2015
Geographically and patriotically, though, tournaments built out of a conglomerate of Australian states, English counties, South African provinces or Indian territories can’t trump the value of six relatively closely knit countries competing for bragging rights across the Caribbean.
“The BBL organisers have done a wonderful job, with their television production some of the best I have ever seen. There is a lot of learning to be had from them. A huge portion of the BBL audience is women and children and we try to implement the same. Their numbers were up 40 percent last year, which is a big success,” O’Donohoe explains.
“Those guys are leaders in their field. Like in any business, you look at guys in the same field as you and learn from them. That’s only going to help the game, T20 in particular. We don’t have as much money as them, our salary caps are substantially smaller, but we look to make our offering a little bit different.
“We firmly believe that T20 cricket’s home is in the Caribbean. It’s about the entertainment, the dressing up, the carnival atmosphere, the cricket, the whole package. That’s what makes the CPL so special and differentiates it from the others. Cricket is like a religion in the Caribbean. When you go to a CPL game, it’s an experience like no other.”
While the tournament is lined with the cosmopolitan services of Pakistan quartet Shahid Afridi, Kamran Akmal, Sohail Tanvir and Shoaib Malik, New Zealand trio Daniel Vettori, Martin Guptill and Nathan McCullum, South African pair Jacques Kallis and David Wiese and more, O’Donohoe concedes his innovation might never extend as far as the recruitment of, say, MS Dhoni or Virat Kohli.
Have popped over to the party stand. pic.twitter.com/7akjcFRKk6
— Peter Miller (@TheCricketGeek) June 25, 2015
A successful mutual relationship with the England and Wales Cricket Board, however, could be necessitated by staging the CPL three or four months later than its prevailing midyear bracket. The UK’s Natwest T20 Blast runs from 15 May to 29 August, while its Caribbean counterpart currently occurs between 20 June and 26 July, resulting in an inhibiting overlap, leaving Kevin Pietersen the lone Englishman in the CPL.
“We spent time at the IPL this year and have very close relationships with some of the key figures in that competition. We work closely with them, as much as we can, but Indian players really are a different affair. But we have had talks with the ECB because we can see the benefit for the English players and the players from the Caribbean,” says O’Donohoe.
“We are talking with the West Indies Cricket Board and the ECB about possibly moving our tournament window to October. If we did that, it would open us up to the English market of fans and players.”
Until then, O’Donohoe and his shiny new product continue to punch above its weight and bring a true identity to the CPL that embraces all the colour and carnival of the Caribbean to great effect.
