Source : Caribbean Life
Cricket West Indies (CWI) Chief Executive Officer Chris Dehring has described the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) as the region’s most successful cricket initiative undertaken by the governing body in more than a decade, despite CWI not holding full ownership of the league.
Since its launch in 2013, the CPL has grown into the Caribbean’s premier T20 competition. The Trinbago Knight Riders have emerged as the most successful franchise, winning five titles, including the 2025 edition under the leadership of Nicholas Pooran. This growth has significantly strengthened the league’s influence across the region.
Dehring highlighted the CPL’s strong commercial success and its positive impact on regional cricket.
“Let me just say that the CPL is tangibly and empirically the most successful project undertaken by Cricket West Indies in the last 13 or 14 years since its inception,” he said.
Addressing concerns about ownership, Dehring emphasised that CWI’s returns extend beyond traditional control.
“Ownership, from a legal and technical perspective, does not directly determine the returns you generate from something,” he explained. “There can be various types of relationships—such as partnerships, leases, or licensing agreements—that may provide greater benefits than outright ownership.”
Dehring added that CWI benefits significantly from the CPL’s success without bearing the financial risks associated with full ownership.
“We probably take home, from a profit perspective, a substantial share of the value of that event without having to assume the risks of investment,” he said. “We get a very good return from the CPL, and it is one of our most valuable assets—if not in cricket, then certainly financially.”
He further noted that while CWI does not fully own the CPL, it maintains considerable influence through its licensing arrangements.
“Even though, from a technical perspective, we have some ownership but not total ownership of that property, it is part of the family of Cricket West Indies products,” he said, noting that the CPL forms an integral part of the domestic calendar.
Dehring also revealed that CWI and CPL officials are finalising a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to strengthen cooperation and create additional opportunities.
“It is an organisation that we work very closely with and will continue to engage even more closely in the future,” he stated. “The relationship is very important, but it goes far beyond ownership. It is a licensing arrangement, and we collaborate closely with the management team to deliver the CPL product.”
Reinforcing the league’s importance, Dehring described the CPL as “a key part of the West Indies cricket family and domestic season.”
The league’s continued expansion—including the addition of the Jamaica Kingsmen in 2026, the launch of a women’s tournament, and its involvement in the T20 Breakout League—underscores its growing influence and importance to the future of West Indies cricket.