The Caribbean Premier League (CPL) is again in the news as the winner of the tournament, the Barbados Tridents struggled in the T20 Champions League tournament in India.The Tridents suffered three consecutive losses before defeating the Northern Knights for a consolation win yesterday. They did little better than Guyana which lost all their matches when representing the region years ago.While many will boast of the exposure and the increase revenue for players, everyone apparently forgets the dismal image that these performances reflect on an already evaporating West Indies cricket image.
It is a matter that while it should concern the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), clearly does not, with the WICB easily removing itself from this matter with the wholesale handing over of their rights to this format of the game to the owners of the CPL.In this agreement between the WICB Inc. and CPL Limited, which is dated November, 16, 2012, there are some startling revelations that need not only explanations, but probably investigations.
Foremost in all of this, has to be the terms of the contract, which read as follows:
2.3 Subject to Clause 2.4, CPL may, at its sole option, extend the term of this agreement in respect of up to a maximum of 3 (three) renewal periods of 10 (ten) years each (each a "renewal period") as follows;
a) Renewal Period 1: from the end of the initial term to 31 December 2042
b) Renewal Period 2: from 1 January 2043 to 31 December 2052 and
c) Renewal Period 3: from 1 January 2053 to 31 December 2062. Such extension rights shall be exercisable by CPL by notice in writing to the WICB to be given by no later than 30 June 2032 in respect of Renewal Period 1, by no later than 30 June 2042 in respect of Period 2 and by no later than 30 June 2052 in respect of Renewal Period 3.
When one reads the above, it would appear, as if the WICB, have decided to just say, we do not want to be involved in this and let someone else handle it. This is quite peculiar, as nowhere else in the cricketing world, has any other cricketing nation allowed this prosperous version of cricket to be controlled by third parties.So we can either assume the WICB is incapable from a management point of view of controlling the magnitude that is T20 cricket in the region, or just do not care, or received some substantial rewards which would have allowed them to give up this investment rights in West Indies cricket.
And this is where it gets interesting, as the agreement states under the headline–Fees:
5.1 In consideration of the rights and benefits granted to CPL under this agreement, CPL shall pay the WICB the following sums (the "fees"):
5.1.1 An annual license fee of US $1,375,000 per annum in respect of contract years 1 to 10 (inclusive)
5.1.2 An annual license fee of US $1,750,000 per annum in respect of contract years 11 to 20
(inclusive)
5.1.3 if this agreement is extended in respect of Renewal Period 1 in accordance with the provisions of Clause 2.3, then CPL shall pay the WICB a one off renewal fee of US $2.5 million dollars by 31 March 2033 and the annual license fee payable in each contract years 21 to 30 (inclusive) shall be the sum of US $2.5 million per annum.
5.1.4 if this agreement is further extended in respect of Renewal Period 2 in accordance with the provisions of Clause 2.3, then CPL shall pay the WICB a one off renewal fee of US$3.5 million by 31 March 2043 and the annual license fee payable in each contract years 31 to 40 (inclusive) shall be the sum of US $3.5 million per annum.
5.1.5 If this agreement is further extended in respect of Renewal Period 3 in accordance with the provisions of Clause 2.3, then CPL shall pay the WICB a one off renewal fee of US $5million by 31 March 2053.
On the surface, over a 50 year period, this is quite a nominal amount to receive for such a major venture. And given the high profitability around the World from these sorts of events, the yearly amounts offered to the WICB would seem minute in comparisons.
The other area of concern has to be Clause 3
3.3 ...The WICB shall not sanction or otherwise permit any List A twenty 20 match, tournament, challenge, Cup or league or any other Twenty20 match, tournament, challenge, Cup or league featuring International Players,WICB contracted players or regional players to be staged in the West Indies during the term.
So now in all of this, there are so many questions about what this contractual agreement means for West Indies cricket and given the continual nonperformance of any other team, than T&T, there is the need to call into account the sensibility of this argument.In T&T, there has been a belief that the president of the WICB at the time Dr Julian Hunte did not give the other members much of a choice, as this was already agreed before the WICB executive had a chance to meet on this matter. In T&T, the current Cricket Board is very upset, that need to seek permission from WICB and owners of the CPL, if a RED FORCE match is to be organised.There is too much doubt and suspicion in this matter and when one reads the contract, it appears to be too heavily in favour of the CPL, at the expense of the WICB and the people of the Caribbean. AB