The St Lucia Zouks are back in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL).
The Zouks will replace the St Lucia Stars for the 2019 season following the CPL’s management’s recent termination of the participation agreement with the company operating the Stars franchise.
The Zouks will be playing matches in St Lucia and across the Caribbean in this year’s league, which takes place from September 4 to October 12.
However, Guardian Media Sports understands that the CPL will be taking over the management of the Zouks for this edition until a full-time owner comes on board.
The owners of the tournament decided to take over the franchise to keep it alive after last-minute talks with the Stars franchise holders broke down. The players who have been drafted by the Stars are expected to be taken care off by the CPL so that they can participate in the tournament.
The Zouks was the original name of the St Lucia franchise when it was founded in 2013 and it still resonates with cricket fans around the world. St Lucia is one of four islands in the Caribbean known for its zouk music, making it the perfect name for the team.
The logo is a colourful mixture of blue and yellow with a flame symbol that is derived from the national coat of arms, representing a desire to win.
The Zouks will be playing 10 group games during the tournament, starting with a match against the Guyana Amazon Warriors in Guyana on September 5. They will visit Trinidad and Tobago for a game against Trinbago Knight Riders (September 8), Jamaica for the game against the Tallawahs (September 12) and St Kitts to play the Patriots (September 17). They will then play five matches at home between September 20 and 27. Their final group game will see them take on Barbados Tridents on September 29.
St Lucia Zouks fixtures
Sep 5: Guyana Amazon Warriors v St Lucia Zouks, Providence Stadium, Guyana, 6 pm
Sep 8: Trinbago Knight Riders v St Lucia Zouks, Queen’s Park Oval, Trinidad, 12 pm
Sep 12: Jamaica Tallawahs v St Lucia Zouks, Sabina Park, Jamaica, 7 pm
Sep 15: St Kitts & Nevis Patriots v St Lucia Zouks, Warner Park, St. Kitts, 6 pm
Sep 20: St Lucia Zouks v Barbados Tridents, Daren Sammy Stadium, St Lucia, 8 pm
Sep 21: St Lucia Zouks v Trinbago Knight Riders, Daren Sammy Stadium, St Lucia, 8 pm
Sep 24: St Lucia Zouks v St Kitts & Nevis Patriots, Daren Sammy Stadium, St Lucia, 6 pm
Sep 25: St Lucia Zouks v Guyana Amazon Warriors, Daren Sammy Stadium, St Lucia, 6 pm
Sep 27: St Lucia Zouks v Jamaica Tallawahs, Daren Sammy Stadium, St Lucia, 8 pm
Sep 29: Barbados Tridents v St Lucia Zouks, Kensington Oval, Barbados, 6 pm