Limacol CPL 2014 set to amaze

The countdown is on to the most electrifying cricketing event in the Caribbean and from the looks of things, all systems are go. The Limacol Caribbean Premier League is set to take the region by storm once again after making a smashing debut last year.

Getting started on July 11, the tournament will be seeing some exciting changes while at the same time staying true to the format that the people of the Caribbean have come to know and love after only one year. In a telephone interview with CPL Chief Executive Officer Damien O’Donohoe and Chief Operations Officer Pete Russell, The Grenada Advocate was informed that last year was a success.

“CPL last year was fantastic. We had full stadiums and we sold over 94% of the seats so in terms of an experience, both cricketing and entertainment wise, it was something that I think that the Caribbean hadn’t seen for a very long time. We were delighted with it,” Russell said.

With the major changes coming in the form of an increase in games from 24 to 30, there is also an increase in the number of venues with eight as opposed to six in a bid to reach a wider cross-section of the region. Russell went on to say that they were hoping for much of the same in terms of full houses, exciting cricket and the usual entertainment and added that one of the latest developments included American rapper, Rick Ross, being announced to be on the cards in St. Kitts. Another event expected to create quite a stir is the Ian Botham and Brian Lara charity game in St. Kitts, which will see the likes of Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Imran Khan dusting off their skills to the delight of the fans.

The franchises are pretty much staying the same and Russell stated that another big-bill star will be joining the ranks this year. “We have a high-quality lineup for all of the teams. We’ve got the usual West Indies stars and they’ll be lining up alongside a number of international legends as well, such as Kevin Pietersen who is coming to play for the Zouks this year. We are very excited with both the quality of teams and the number of international teams that are being represented.”

O’Donohoe chimed in to say that of the challenges faced this year, the logistics of moving around between the venue countries proved to be the most problematic. He added however, that the organising committee have been hard at it since September and their relationship with LIAT was solid and have been assured that priority is given, flights are on schedule and bags arrive.

“The biggest challenge for us is the fact that, like any other event, there are different islands in which to stage the island, so logistically it can be a real challenge getting around the Caribbean. With any other major event you’re usually in one country in six or seven different locations so to transport everything is probably or biggest challenge in terms of delivering the event,” he said.