Trinidad & Tobago may host CPL

The Caribbean Premier League has received a major boost, as the Trinidad & Tobago government hinted that they are willing to host the 2020 edition of the tournament in the country. Despite the fact that the tournament’s future is subject to clearance from the Health ministry, and a commitment to strictly adhere to the guidelines, the possibility of the tournament happening is one of progress.

The proposal submitted by the CPL to the T&T government earlier in the week comprises of 34 games to be played at two venues across a span of 25 days. The tournament was originally scheduled to be played out between August 19 and September 26. Given the truncated nature of the proposed tournament, there are sure to be a plethora of doubleheaders. CPL had signed a contract with the T&T government in 2018 which made the CPL a million-dollar richer for allowing Trinidad & Tobago to host the semi-finals and the finals.

Minister for Sports and Youth Affairs, Shamfa Cudjoe, was present in the meeting between CPL and the T&T government held on June 4. The draft document presented by the CPL consisted of health protocols and travel arrangements, according to Cudjoe.

"They wish to hold CPL in Trinidad and Tobago only," Cudjoe told i95.5fm, a Trinidad-based radio station, hosted by local broadcaster Andre Errol Baptiste, hours after the meeting. "The proposal speaks primarily to the health protocol and doesn't cover budget or anything of that sort. I must commend CPL for taking this time out to touch on and examine each and every part of the health protocol - from quarantine period after the players land, as to how they are going to be housed, how they are fed and how to maintain social distancing, even rules as to whether saliva or sweat can be used on the ball - they went into detail.”

The tournament’s future, however, would hinge on the health ministry’s go-ahead. "Most importantly, we are asking the Ministry of Health to give us clearance, and guidelines, to see if this is even possible, and what's the best way to execute these games. But we are open to hosting, and as long as our numbers (Covid-19 cases) remain low, and we can establish the right health protocols and guidelines, and get the commitment from CPL to abide and adhere to those guidelines, then we are very much, very, very much open to hosting the CPL at this point in time,” said Cudjoe.

Upon being asked about the possible dates for the tournament, Cudjoe stressed on safety being the priority at the moment. "All of that (the tournament dates) would have to be looked at based on the health guidelines and the protocols from the Ministry of Health and Ministry of National Security," Cudjoe said. "You don't want to chance anything. Our priority is safeguarding the athletes, the workers and all the stakeholders, most importantly the wider public of Trinidad and Tobago.”

"So we will not be taking any chances, we have to examine these protocols very, very meticulously, and then we will come up with a way forward as to whether this makes sense, whether we can remain healthy, whether this is safe, before we give the go-ahead. We will be deliberating on the matter during the next week, and we hope to come up with a proper and solid response to CPL soon.” Cudjoe added.

The next step, according to Cudjoe, is for the CPL to present details on the budget, following which a detailed plan would be discussed with the T&T government. Further action would only be possible once the CPL returns with a more elaborate proposal.

[With ESPN Cricinfo inputs]