THE Caribbean Premier League Twenty20 professional cricket tournament was Tuesday evening launched in Barbados and already is being touted as a tournament which could bring much-needed impetus to regional cricket which, for some time now,  has not been at its optimum.

One cannot over emphasise the importance of such a professional league, if one is to examine what obtains in all the major cricketing nations, including India, Australia, England, South Africa, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, just to name a few; they all have professional cricket leagues.

A careful examination of the guidelines/rules of this tournament, would put a smile on the face of any true Caribbean cricket fan.
Foremost is the fact that the competition stipulates that, “All teams must have a minimum of four players who are under 23 years old on their team.”
This rule must be seen as a deliberate attempt by the organisers to ensure young talents in franchise countries are given an opportunity to hit the big stage, which can be their very chance to make the West Indies team and go on to help return the Caribbean to its rightful place in international cricket, the top of the ladder.

The other key rules are:-
**  Each team will consist of a minimum of 15 contracted players.
**  Each squad will have one (1) franchise WI player Plus one (1) franchise international player
** Maximum of four (4) international players.
** All other players will be West Indian registered.
**  A salary cap will be in place for each team.

These are all very critical elements to ensure that there is equity and a fair chance for regional players to mingle with some of the best in world cricket, which will only help to boost their game.

After carefully examining these few guidelines (there are much more), one cannot stifle his conscience and not say kudos to Mr. Ajmal Khan, for his visionary thinking and his display of selfless commitment, to see Caribbean cricket grow from strength to strength.

As it was rightly put when the tournament was first made public: “This will cause huge financial injection into the Caribbean [and the ] goal is to help reinvigorate and strengthen cricket in the Region – players to benefit from substantial fees plus regional retainer
contracts”.

The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) must also be given its fair share of praise, for supporting the tournament and ensuring that the window period is created so that there can be maximum participation of regional cricketers in the tournament.

Caribbean people will not fall short in supporting this tournament, which could be the founding of future glory of our cricket on the world stage.

Kudos Ajmal Khan, you are a true Caribbean man.