CPL: Hope returns to Amazon Warriors

CASTRIES, St Lucia (CMC):

Several players currently featuring in the ICC Men's Twenty20 World Cup in the Caribbean and the United States for West Indies and visiting teams can start to make plans for after the global showpiece.

Caribbean Premier League (CPL) organisers announced yesterday that defending champions Guyana Amazon Warriors and title hopefuls St Lucia Kings have named their list of retained players for the coming season scheduled to be played from August 29 to October 6.

West Indies One-day International captain Shai Hope, the 2023 CPL Player of the Tournament, and exciting Guyanese fast bowler Shamar Joseph, are two of the five members of the West Indies World Cup squad that have found favour with Amazon Warriors.

The other three are hometown favourites left-handed batsman Shimron Hetmyer and left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie, and all-rounder Romario Shepherd.

The Amazon Warriors won their maiden CPL title last year, and they have retained the core of the team that helped them secured the trophy and confirmed nine players so far for the tournament.

They can sign up to five overseas players, with the remaining three squad members to be filled at the CPL Draft, which will take place in July.

The rest of the players retained by the Warriors are West Indies Test off-spinner Kevin Sinclair and fellow international, all-rounder Keemo Paul, as well as emerging batsman Kevlon Anderson and off-spinner Junior Sinclair.

The Kings - the only one of the established franchises yet to win the CPL - have gained a boost to their batting stocks, which have often let them down, with highly regarded South African wicketkeeper-batsman Heinrich Klaasen being named among 12 confirmed players for the tournament.

Klaasen, former South Africa captain Faf du Plessis, as well as Afghanistan left-arm spinner Noor Ahmed, South Africa-born Namibia all-rounder David Wiese, and Sri Lanka batsman Bhanuka Rajapaksa, form the early members of the Kings foreign contingent.

The Kings have retained the core of their Caribbean players that helped them secure a fourth consecutive play-off spot last year with World Cup trio of hometown favourite Johnson Charles, West Indies vice-captain Alzarri Joseph, and all-rounder Roston Chase, being secured.