#BTEditorial – Welcome back CPL and all that you bring!

2023 can be billed ‘The Year of the Return’ for many aspects of life, sports and entertainment in Barbados.

February signalled the return of the Holetown Festival. March signalled the return of the Barbados Secondary Schools Athletic Championship. June signalled the return of the National Senior Games. May signalled the return of a full Crop Over Festival.

And now in August and September, we see the return of Caribbean Premier League (CPL) cricket. CPL action started on August 16 and will close at the end of September. Cricket action is on at Kensington Oval from August 30 to September 3.

The slogan The Greatest Party of the Summer has been used to promote CPL since its inception in 2013. There has always been a deliberate act to pair cricket and entertainment at CPL matches. Some say the T20 tournament is akin to cricket meeting Carnival.

The format of the game is simple, and like One-Day International (ODI) cricket, a winner is known the same day. The night matches have become a favourite of many over the daytime matches.

The first taste of T20 cricket for the Caribbean was not the CPL. Before the spectacle of the CPL captured the emotions and imagination of fans all around the world in 2013, we experienced the Stanford 20/20 tournament. There were two editions of the Stanford 20/20 tournament, held in 2006 and 2008. The entire tournament was devised and founded by the now-disgraced billionaire businessman Allen Stanford.

Stanford was proclaimed as the man who would forever change the fortunes of West Indies cricket when he introduced the Stanford 20/20 tournament to the Caribbean.

The entire tournament was held in Antigua and featured 19 teams. The winning team would receive a cash prize of US$1 million. That kind of prize money was unheard of in the Caribbean.

Stanford 20/20 was a success and the entire region was engrossed with the tournament which eventually concluded when Guyana defeated Trinidad and Tobago in the final to capture the title, along with the prize money that came along with it. Stanford made good on his promise and rewarded the champions with US$1 million.

The second edition commenced two years later, in 2008. The prize money was the same but the number of teams comprising the tournament was expanded by one.

At the time, cricket purists frowned on the notion of reducing their beloved game to 20 overs. Fifty overs, as was the case for ODIs, was bad enough in their eyes, but slashing the length of the game even further was met with some resistance and criticism from some quarters.

But as the debate raged on, the 20-over format did something that traditional cricket had failed to do. CPL captured the hearts and attention of the younger generation who did not care for taking five days to see who won a cricket match.

The shorter format was more appealing to them. The addition of cheerleaders dressed in national colours, entertainers, island characters – in our case Mac Fingall and Ishiaka McNeil –, dancers, tuk band, steel pannists, Mother Sally, and the like, further increased fan engagement.

With the enhanced support, the tournament began to be recognised globally. The CPL championship brought in even more foreign investment and attention.

In the 2016 season, the CPL took a huge step in this quest for global recognition that would forever impact its fortunes. The stadiums blasted Caribbean music during the games and patrons walked with their creative signs to support their teams. Original chants were created and the patrons made every game a festival of colour reminiscent of a Carnival celebration.

There is no doubt that CPL brings about an absolutely electrifying atmosphere and vibe that no other format of cricket has been able to do. It is the perfect marriage of two things that Caribbean people love – cricket and Carnival.

Apart from the merriment, there are also many other gains. Here in Barbados, the return of CPL means income for many small and medium-sized businesses. Apart from the staff needed to facilitate the cricket and those who work at the Kensington Oval, many others will receive additional income over the next few days.

The catering companies who provide hospitality for patrons in the corporate boxes will be paid. There are designers who are contracted to create the cheerleaders’ costumes and they will be paid. The cheerleaders and dancers will be paid. The live entertainment, inclusive of the characters, will be paid. The DJs who keep the vibe going before, during and after the match will be paid. Those who are on-site to promote the products of the respective sponsors are paid.

CPL not only brings joy to the thousands who watch it but it is also a welcomed return for many others. Welcome back CPL, and to all that you bring!