One of the most successful franchises of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), Jamaica Tallawahs (JT), will not feature in the 2024 season. They will be replaced by a new franchise based in Antigua and Barbuda.
The owners of the franchise have sold it back to the CPL, as confirmed by a league spokesperson to ESPN Cricinfo, stating:
“The owners were left with no option but to sell the Tallawahs back to CPL as they could not find a way to operate the team sustainably.”
Antigua hosted a franchise named Antigua Hawksbills in the first two CPL seasons in 2013 and 2014 before being replaced by St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots in 2015.
However, the CPL spokesperson confirmed the league’s intentions to have the Jamaica-based franchise back in years to come.
“The CPL remains committed to having a team based in Jamaica, but this will be in 2025 at the earliest. In 2024, there will be six teams taking part in the CPL with franchises based in Antigua & Barbuda, Barbados, Guyana, St Kitts & Nevis, Saint Lucia and Trinidad & Tobago” the spokesperson said.
The 2024 CPL season is expected to start in mid-August following the T20 World Cup.
JT qualified for the playoffs this year but were eliminated in the second qualifier by eventual champions Guyana Warriors.
“For those things to be happening is a little bit disappointing” – Rovman Powell
The current West Indies T20 skipper, Rovman Powell, expressed his disappointment over his hometown letting go of their franchise.
Jamaica hasn’t hosted an international game since August 2022 when West Indies played Ireland in a one-day match. and will not stage any game in the T20 World Cup next year.
It has been longer since Jamaicans have seen a CPL home match as 2019 was the last time Jamaica Tallawahs played at Sabina Park.
Powell led JT to their third CPL title in 2022 before being traded to the Barbados Royals (BR) last season. He said (via ESPN Cricinfo):
“Jamaica is the biggest island in the Caribbean, a proud nation, a proud cricketing nation. For those things to be happening is a little bit disappointing. Obviously I’m a Jamaican and I want to play in front of my home crowd, but for the last few years, I haven’t. The West Indies Cricket Board and the Jamaican government really have to sit down and have a conversation about that.”
The Tallawahs have won three titles — in 2013, 2016, and 2022 — and finished in the top four in 11 of the 13 CPL editions.
“Cricket has not played there for a long time…There are quite a few Jamaicans playing for West Indies now and no cricket has been there.” Four Jamaicans were in the starting XI in the final T20 against England including Powell, Andre Russell, Oshane Thomas and Brandon King.