ST JOHN’S, Antigua (CMC) – Next year’s Caribbean Twenty20 Tournament, starting on Sunday, January 6 in Trinidad, will be played under a new format, the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) announced yesterday. The marquee, annual West Indies Cricket Board tournament will feature the seven regional teams in 23 matches.
They will contest a non-elimination, preliminary competition, with a new route for the teams to reach the Grand Final on Sunday, January 20, at the Beausejour Cricket Ground in St Lucia.
Each team will play each other once.
The team to finish with the highest number of points after all of the preliminary matches will automatically qualify for the Grand Final.
The teams which finish second and third will qualify for the playoff.
The winner of the playoff will be the other side to play in the Grand Final.
The winner of the tournament will qualify for a place in next year’s Champions League Twenty20.
“This format will allow the regional teams to increase the number of matches in a form of the game which has become very popular around the world, and of which we are now World champions,” said WICB Manager, Cricket Operations Roland Holder.
“It was previously four, but now there are six matches each. This is in keeping with the WICB’s mandate to increase the number of matches that teams are playing at the regional level.”
Reigning champions T&T will face long-standing rivals Jamaica in the opening match of next year’s CT20 on home soil at the Queen’s Park Oval on Sunday, January 6, following the official opening ceremony.
There will be two matches played on the succeeding days of the tournament before the Playoff on Saturday, January 19, and the Grand Final on Sunday, January 20.
All matches will be broadcast live on ESPN.
The Playoff and the Grand Final will be preceded by Twenty20 Internationals between West Indies Women and South Africa Women.