Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) Pete Russell had his say on the threat that external cricket tournaments pose to the CPL. Russell spoke Monday night on CNC 3's 'Inside Edge' programme which explores the latest cricket news.
The CEO delved into the history of the CPL as he spoke about the pessimism amongst many, both supporters and stakeholders, about the tournament at its inception. These sentiments derived from the poor standard of West Indies cricket at the time and the introduction of this new format of cricket. Russell said, however, the Caribbean swiftly embraced this new, unique format and it has now become the most viewed version of the sport.
Russell embraces all other tournaments in the format, as he sees them as opportunities to give players a chance to get experience playing cricket all over the world, which he views as not just good for the CPL, but an asset to West Indies cricket as well.
Despite being unable to match the riches of Major League Cricket or the ever-popular IPL (Indian Premier League), Russell says that the CPL is currently not losing a lot of money. He spoke about the intelligence behind the spending and investment of funds for the league and praised the newly implemented formula that works not just commercially but also for stakeholders, governments, fans, players and owners.
CEO Russell also spoke on the difficulty of acquiring foreign players to compete in the league.
"When you look at the cricketing window, it's a challenge. During our window (CPL), you have the Asia Cup being played and the series between South Africa and Australia. So there is lots of fluidity with players coming in and out and that's something our league has to accept," said the CPL chief executive.
Russell understands that this is the nature of league cricket these days but he also says that the CPL has no issues with attracting players despite not being paid as well as other leagues.
He also underlined the relaxed environment of the Caribbean as being a huge attraction for foreign players to visit and compete in the CPL, stressing that despite the clash in windows, with regard to cricket tournaments, the CPL doesn't have issues with attracting international players of the highest calibre.