Cricket West Indies and the Caribbean Premier League have agreed to move back the dates of the 2019 edition of the T20 tournament to make sure all the top West Indies players can take part in it as well as in the multi-format home series against India.
The seventh edition of the tournament was earlier scheduled to be played from August 21 to September 27. But the West Indies-India series, comprising two Tests, three ODIs and three T20Is, will start soon after the World Cup and run, potentially, till the end of August. Those dates are yet to be made public.
The CPL will now take place from September 4 to October 12; the revised schedule of matches will be announced at a later date.
“The Caribbean Premier League prides itself on being in the very top echelon of T20 tournaments around the world, and for that to happen we need the best players available,” Pete Russell, CPL chief operating officer, said in a statement.
“We want our fans to be able to watch the best local talent taking part and that is why we are more than happy to be flexible with our dates to make that happen. The Biggest Party in Sport may have been delayed by two weeks, but it is going to be even better as a result.”
Johnny Grave, the CWI chief executive officer, said of the decision, “We are pleased that we have been able to collaborate with CPL to find a spot in our international calendar to ensure that all the best Caribbean cricketers can take part, as the tournament plays a crucial role in our preparations and planning for the T20 World Cup in 2020.”
Source: ESPN Crickinfo