The T&T Cricket Board (TTCB) has found themselves on the wrong side of a decision made by the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) led by Dr Julien Hunte two years ago.
Under Hunte, the WICB entered into an agreement with Verus International whereby they sold the rights to regional Twenty20 (T20) cricket for a period in the first instance of 20 years, with an option to renew up to 50 years.
The TTCB had invested heavily into forming the formidable Red Force T20 team, which attracted attention across the cricket world with their exploits at the Champions League.
The Red Force made four out of five Champions League visits and many of their players became T20 superstars. Among the Red Force men to make it big were Sunil Narine, Kieron Pollard, Dwayne Bravo, Ravi Rampaul and Lendl Simmons.
With the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) formed, the players were split among regional teams which angered fans in T&T.
There has been a promise by president of the TTCB, Azim Bassarath to keep the Red Force together to play some tournaments but this is easier said than done.
Under the very airtight contract drawn up between Verus and the WICB, the CPL retains the rights for all cricket between the ten to 35 overs span. It means that the TTCB cannot pick a Red Force team and invite any team to play matches against them over this span of overs, without prior permission from the CPL.
It now puts the TTCB in a bind because they are now at the whim and fancy of the CPL, when it comes to keeping the Red Force together to play matches.
Well placed sources told the T&T Guardian that the TTCB, who enjoys a very good relationship with the current president of the WICB, Dave Cameron, is looking at the CPL agreement in detail and seeking ways to address this situation.
Since the advent of the CPL, the TTCB has been the territorial board to suffer the most financially. When Red Force visited Champions League the TTCB got a tidy sum as appearance fee, which they used to invest in their development programmes. When a proposal was made by Verus International to the WICB for ownership of the league, the TTCB directors on the board at the time, Baldath Mahabir and Dr Allen Sammy, raised objections but they were out voted by the other directors, who basically had nothing to lose.
The move went ahead and the TTCB is still the lone territory challenging the system.