The Jamaica Tallawahs franchise will not feature in the 2024 Caribbean Premier League (CPL) season.
Tallawahs, who were CPL champions in 2022, will be replaced by a new franchise based in Antigua and Barbuda after their owner, Kris Persaud, a Guyanese businessman based in Florida, sold it back to the organisers.
A CPL spokesperson told ESPNcricinfo: “The owners were left with no option but to sell the Tallawahs back to CPL as they could not find a way to operate the team sustainably.”
Antigua previously hosted a franchise called the Antigua Hawksbills in the first two CPL seasons but they were largely unsuccessful, winning only three matches and being replaced by St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in 2015.
Earlier this week the Minister of Sports in the Antigua and Barbuda, Senator Daryll Matthew, revealed plans to host a franchise next year during his presentation on the 2024 budget.
Despite this news, the CPL plans to relaunch a Jamaica based franchise in years to come.
“The CPL remains committed to having a team based in Jamaica but this will be in 2025 at the earliest,” a spokesperson said. “In 2024, there will be six teams taking part in the CPL with franchises based in Antigua & Barbuda, Guyana, St Kitts & Nevis, Saint Lucia, Trinidad & Tobago and Barbados.”
West Indies T20 captain Rovman Powell, who led Tallawahs to their second CPL title in 2022 expressed disappointment for his home island to lose their franchise.
“Jamaica is the biggest island in the Caribbean, a proud nation, a proud cricketing nation,” he said. “For those things to be happening is a little bit disappointing.”
This news comes after an earlier announcement that Sabina Park, the main stadium in Jamaica’s capital city Kingston would not be hosting any games in next year’s T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and last hosted international cricket in August 2022.
“Obviously I’m a Jamaican and I want to play in front of my home crowd, but for the last few years, I haven’t,” Powell continued saying. “The West Indies Cricket Board and the Jamaican government really have to sit down and have a conversation about that.”
Jamaica has not hosted any CPL games since 2019.
The 2024 CPL season is expected to start on August 17 and finish on September 25. (JC)