A day after the completion of Indian Premier League’s (IPL) mega auction, the Cricket West Indies (CWI) said it has guaranteed a special window for the lucrative league beside announcing that all the Caribbean players will be available for it, which i expected to be held between March and May.
Issuing a statemnet, the CWI said: “The CWI has allocated a window for the tournament each year in their ICC FTP and also guaranteed this to the players in their retainer contracts, therefore West Indies players are fully available to participate in the IPL each year.”
“The IPL 2022 is slated to be played in April and May,” it added.
Meanwhile, Ricky Skerritt, CWI’s President congratulated the Windies criketers who secured a contract with the carious franchises in the auction.
“I want to congratulate all of the West Indies players who have secured contracts to the various franchises in the IPL, which is the biggest and most lucrative global T20 franchise tournament. But I especially want to applaud those younger players who received their first full IPL contracts. This shows great faith in emerging West Indies talent,” he expressed.
“I continue to believe that our players can seek quality employment abroad, and still be positioned to operate constructively and successfully within the West Indies cricket system,” Skerritt added.
Notably, as many as 14 Caribbean cricketers will be a part of the upcoming edition of the cash-rich league.
The total price paid for the West Indies players was US$10,855 million and they make up the largest number of foreign players in the league, from any territory outside of India.
The West Indies players in the IPL this year are Andre Russell (Kolkata Knight Riders, Rs 12 cr), Nicholas Pooran (Sunrisers Hyderabad, 10.75 crore), Jason Holder (Lucknow Super Giants, 8.75 crore), Shimron Hetmyer (Rajasthan Royals, (Rs 8.50 crore), Romario Shepherd (Sunrisers Hyderabad, Rs 7.75 crore), Kieron Pollard (Mumbai Indians, Rs 6 core), Sunil Narine (Kolkata Knight Riders, Rs 6 crore), Odean Smith (Punjab Kings, Rs 6 crore), Dwayne Bravo (Chennai Super Kings, Rs 4.40 crore), Rovman Powell (Delhi Capitals, Rs 2.80 crore), Alzarri Joseph (Gujarat Titans, Rs 2.40 crore), Evin Lewis (Lucknow Super Giants, Rs 2 crore), Dominic Drakes (Gujarat Titans, Rs 1.10 crore), Sherfane Rutherford (Punjab Kings, Rs 1 crore), Fabian Allen (Mumbai Indian, Rs 75 lakh), Obed McCoy (Rajasthan Royals, Rs 75 lakh) and Kyle Mayers (Lucknow Super Giants, Rs 50 lakh).
Commenting on the development, Nicholas Pooran said: “I’m very thankful. I can’t wait for that journey to begin. But before that journey begins, I just want to give thanks to Cricket West Indies for laying the foundation for my career and I hope a lot of youngsters get that opportunity as well.”
On the other hand, Jason Holder said: “I want to thank the West Indies fans immensely for their support over the years and I want to thank Cricket West Indies for helping to develop my talent. I look forward to this opportunity and also look forward to what is ahead in West Indies cricket, so I can continue to build a legacy for the West Indies.”