A MAJOR initiative for the 2019 season was the introduction of 12 development players into CPL. 

Two Cricket West Indies (CWI)-nominated players were included in each of the franchise teams and we are thrilled to see the immediate success of this programme, as many of the players have made an instant impact.

With these young and exciting players getting time on the field to show their value to their teams, it has become clear that the next generation of Caribbean cricketers is developing rapidly and will soon be pushing for higher honours with the West Indies senior men’s teams. 

Both Hero CPL and CWI are extremely excited with the direction in which these young cricketers  are heading.

The standout performances so far include:

Leniko Boucher, who is currently second on the Barbados Tridents batting averages, with his 62 not out, setting up victory against the St Kitts & Nevis Patriots at Warner Park. The wicketkeeper-batsman has been a very strong addition to the Tridents squad. 

Shamar Springer has been performing well for the Jamaica Tallawahs, claiming a Man-of-the-Match award for this 3-32 against the Tridents. He also scored some valuable runs, making 30 from 20 balls against the Patriots.

Ramaal Lewis has also been performing well for the Tallawahs, with both bat and ball. Lewis has been scoring at a strike rate of 145 and has taken four wickets. 

Dominic Drakes has been succeeding for the St Kitts & Nevis Patriots and played a superb innings against the Barbados Tridents where he made 32* as he pushed his side to a near victory. 

Anderson Phillip returned figures of 3-38 for the Trinbago Knight Riders against the Patriots which his team lost after a Super Over. In a high-scoring game Phillip was one of the standout bowlers. 

Michael Hall, the Tournament Operations Director of Hero CPL, said: “Hero CPL takes its role in helping to develop the next generation of cricketers very seriously, and we are delighted to have agreed this initiative with CWI and are excited to see how well they have performed on the big stage”

Jimmy Adams, CWI Director of Cricket, said: “We’re delighted to see the West Indies development players not just receiving game time in such high-profile games, but also making significant contributions with bat, ball and in the field. We congratulate the development players on their performances so far and we look forward to continuing this initiative with our partners at the CPL.”

West Indies Emerging Players:

Barbados Tridents – Leniko Boucher and Chemar Holder

Guyana Amazon Warriors – Odean Smith and Keagan Simmons

Jamaica Tallawahs – Ramaal Lewis Shamar Springer

St Kitts & Nevis Patriots – Jeremiah Louis and Dominic Drakes

St Lucia Zouks – Jeavor Royal and Roland Cato

Trinbago Knight Riders – Amir Jangoo and Anderson Phillip