CPL 2016: Preview of all the 6 teams

The Caribbean equivalent to the IPL, the Caribbean Premier League- CPL 2016 is all set to kick off from 29 June with the Trinbago Knight Riders and the St. Lucia Zouks set to face off in the first match. A slew of international cricketers have been a part of the league over the years and the 6 team competition has superstars like Chris Gayle and Dwayne Bravo gracing the league with their presence.

Unlike IPL, the CPL has 6 franchise teams competing for the title; each team has 17 contracted players from this time around including 5 international players. All the teams have been allowed to sign one ‘marquee player’ as a free agent before the draft begins. This new rule sent all the teams in a frenzy with each one looking to sign some of the best cricketers in the T20 format. Also with the prospect that the league will also be played in the USA this time, makes it even more interesting.

Teams-

Trinbago Knight Riders:

The team for Trinidad and Tobago has an Indian connect, it is co-owned by Shah Rukh Khan hence the Knight Riders in the name. Formerly named Trinidad and Tobago Red Steal, stakes in the team were acquired by Shah Rukh’s Red Chillies Entertainment and after their victory in the 2015 season, the name was changed to Trinbago Knight Riders. The team’s performance in the 2013 and 2014 seasons was fairly average but by virtue of being victors in the last season, they stand as favorites this year.

The core team for the Knight Riders remains the same as last year; Dwayne Bravo will be at the helm of affairs on the field and Brendon McCullum playing as the Marquee player. Sunil Narine and Colin Munro have the rare distinction of playing for both the Knight Riders teams currently and it must have been a homecoming for them after this year’s grueling IPL season. The Knight riders have their home ground at Queen’s Park Oval, Port of Spain, Trinidad.

Also check out – CPL 2016: Teams, Squads, Schedule and Fixtures

Trinbago Knight Riders squad:

Hashim Amla, Sulieman Benn, Yannic Cariah, Anton Devcich, Brendon McCullum, Colin Munro, William Perkins, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Umar Akmal, Ronsford Beaton, Dwayne Bravo, Kevon Cooper, Hamza Tariq, Nikita Miller, Sunil Narine, Anderson Phillip, Javon Searles, Darren Bravo