CPL CEO Pete Russell announced on Friday that the final leg of the 11th edition of the Caribbean Premier League will be held in late September.
Newsroom revealed in an exclusive interview with Sport that the provisional window will run from September 14-24 and Guyana will be used to host the finals and play-offs for the second time under a three-year agreement.
“We may even come a little bit earlier than that, but that is the sort of window that I would plan for.”
The 2022 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) had a combined broadcast and digital audience of 721.8 million. The total number of viewers exceeded half a billion, a new record for the tournament and for the third year in a row.
Accordingly, the 2022 viewership was a 39 percent increase on the 2021 viewership, making the Caribbean Premier League the second most-watched T20 league in the world.
2022 saw the return of fans to the biggest party in the game with full stadiums adding to the carnival atmosphere synonymous with Hero CPL. Matches were held in St Kitts & Nevis, Saint Lucia, Trinidad & Tobago and Guyana and a large number of sports fans from all four countries came to experience the tournament.
Pete Russell, CEO of the CPL, says it’s a big step for the regional tournament to be able to surpass half a million spectators three times in a row.
“To have passed half a billion in viewership for the third year in a row, and to have taken a big step towards reaching one billion, is huge for Hero CPL.”
“2022 saw us celebrate ten years of this wonderful tournament and it was without question the best one yet. The rapidly increasing viewership number is just another indication of where Hero CPL sits, and we are delighted that we have been able to celebrate the success of this league with fans, governments, and commercial partners across the Caribbean.”
It is also reported that 84,425,587 million US dollars was earned for Guyana who hosted the final round of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2022 tournament. In a press release, CPL stated that the figure represents a 186% increase in overall economic impact to Guyana.
In addition, 25,783 hotel room nights were filled during the tournament and more than 50,000 fans attended tournament games alone.
The hotel figures for 2019 represent a 236% increase on the numbers when Guyana last hosted the tournament. The CPL said the figures were generated by research firm YouGov Sport.
Commenting further, Hero CPL Chief Executive Pete Russell was grateful for the continued amazing support from Guyana as well as Irfan Ali’s vision.
“The reception for the Hero CPL in Guyana last year exceeded anything we have seen before, and we are hugely grateful for the vision of His Excellency Irfaan Ali, who masterminded the Cricket Carnival concept and showed how cricket can deliver significant economic value when planned alongside other entertainment initiatives.”
“We are so grateful for the amazing support we continue to receive in Guyana and are thankful that we have been able to repay the country with these fantastic numbers. We can’t wait to make an even bigger impact in 2023.”
Meanwhile, the much-anticipated player draft will take place in June 2023, and franchises are currently working on their roster of players on hold.