The wait for the Biggest Party in Sport will finally be over when defending champions Barbados Tridents host last year's runner ups Guyana Amazon Warriors in the opening match of the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) at Kensington Oval tonight beginning at 6 pm. The Warriors will be eager to get their revenge following the Tridents' Duckworth/Lewis-assisted victory in last year's rain-interrupted final.
The third installment of the tournament promises to be the most explosive and competitive edition to date, with some of the biggest names in world cricket joining the Caribbean's own world class players, as well as exciting up-and-coming local talent.
The Tridents open the tournament with three more home games, squaring off against Jamaica Tallawahs on Tuesday, T&T Red Steel on Thursday and CPL new boys, St Kitts & Nevis Patriots next Saturday.
The other team enjoying home advantage in Week One will be the St Lucia Zouks, and Beausejour Stadium will be rocking as they host the Red Steel tomorrow, Patriots on Wednesday, Amazon Warriors on Friday and Tallawahs next Sunday.
With 30 of the 33 matches taking place under lights, 2015 will mark a return to the night-time matches that made the CPL such a breakout success in the first season. The floodlit matches will help create the unrivalled atmosphere that has seen the CPL earn the name The Biggest Party in Sport, as the most passionate and knowledgeable fans in the world enjoy the action on and off the pitch.
Fans have been given an even greater reason to be at the games this year with the CPL's recently announced 'Catch a Million' competition, the biggest ever sports promotion in the Caribbean. The first fan at every match who catches a six, one-handed, will earn US $1000 on the spot, as well as the chance to come to T&T for the final. If they catch another six, one-handed, in the final, they will be presented with US$1 million!
The teams:
Barbados Tridents
Last year: Champions
Coach: Robin Singh
Ambassador: Desmond Haynes
Captain: Kieron Pollard
Key players: Dwayne Smith, Shoaib Malik, Ravi Rampaul, Jason Holder, Jeevan Mendis.
Unibet odds: 5.5
The defending champions are sticking with their winning formula. The Tridents have retained the core of their successful team from last year, and the side boasts a wealth of experience at crucial positions, with Smith and Malik at the top of the order, Pollard and Holder providing big hits and crucial wickets, and Rampaul as the strike bowler. This team has a knack of performing well under pressure, and with four home games to start with at a packed Kensington Oval, the Tridents will hope to get on a roll from day one.
Guyana Amazon Warriors
Last year: Runners-up
Coach: Carl Hooper
Assistant: Sir Curtly Ambrose
Captain: Denesh Ramdin
Key players: Sunil Narine, Lendl Simmons, Brad Hodge, Shiv Chanderpaul, Devendra Bishoo.
Unibet Odds: 4.5
Beaten finalists in the first two CPL tournaments, the Amazon Warriors will be desperate to go one better this year. The side welcomes a new coach in West Indies legend, Carl Hooper, and the team is likely to be built around the eve-consistent Simmons at the top of the order, and wicket-taking spin bowling from Narine, Bishoo and Veerasammy Permaul. The Warriors have been hit by international call-ups, with Tillakaratne Dilshan and Thisara Perera both leaving mid-tournament, but with Umar Akmal and David Wiese waiting in the wings, the side has lined up excellent replacements.