Caribbean Premier League 2025, An Overview: History, Format and Revenue

Caribbean Premier League History and Foundation

As a response to the global boom in franchise T20 cricket and to bring a new chapter in the Caribbean island, the Caribbean Premier League was created in 2013 by Cricket West Indies. From the beginning, the Indian Premier League showed the direction, and Cricket West Indies' focus was to simulate a similar model that would develop the sports, entertainment, and regional infrastructure of the Caribbean island. 

Before the CPL was launched, the CWI hosted the Caribbean T20, but it lacked the commercial sponsorship and the money power to attract the audience of West Indies cricket. Digicel gave the first sponsorship to the CPL in the year 2013, and investment from Ajmal Khan, the founder of Versus International. The first season of 2013 was held across six islands or countries with houseful electric stadiums showcasing the colour and flair of fans of West Indies cricket. Immediately after its launch, the CPL gained immense popularity due to the unique nature of cricket, Caribbean culture, and the festival-like atmosphere. Local international stars like Nicholas Pooran, Chris Gayle, and Shimron Hetmyer also played a crucial role in this development. 

The versatile scheduling, local fan engagement, and international broadcasting have helped the CPL to thrive under the proactive leadership of West Indies Cricket. As the CPL hosts matches in different islands, it is not easy to travel from one island to another in such a short period of time. Therefore, despite all the challenges like the travel logistics and the weather disruptions due to monsoon, the league remains one of the premier franchise leagues in the cricketing world. The Caribbean Premier League has also inspired the other regional leagues and has helped to show the path as a blueprint for the improvement of West Indies Cricket.

Caribbean Premier League Current Format

The 13th edition of the CPL will start from August 14, and the League will conclude its season on September 21, 2025. As mentioned earlier in the article, there are six teams from different regions participating in the tournament. The tournament is being played in a double round-robin format, where each team will play 10 matches in 34 games. To enable the teams to get the advantage of playing multiple matches on their home turf, the fixtures of the Premier League are scheduled accordingly. The basic T20 points system is in force in the tournament, in which a victory ensures the earning of 2 points for the team. The format of the playoffs in the CPL is quite challenging, with a single-match knockout, with a total of 5 matches, including the summit showdown. The playoff matches are as in the following: Match 1, Fifth (5th) Seed at Fourth(4th) Seed. The Caribbean Premier League is almost entirely modeled on the rules and regulations of its predecessor IPL.

Team Owners and Sponsors 

In its journey of the past twelve years, the Caribbean Premier League has evolved as one of the most hotly contested and prominent T20 leagues in the world. There are six teams in the CPL, and each team has different owners and sponsors, which have helped the respective franchises to grow rapidly. The first team is the Trinbago Knight Riders, who have a great fan base not only in the Caribbean islands but also all around the world. 

An inspiring example of a very successful franchise is the Trinbago Knight Riders in the CPL. And as of 2025, it is owned by the Red Chillies Entertainment, which happens to be owned by Shah Rukh Khan, and this is an additional feather in their cap. Coca-Cola is the official sponsor of the Trinbago Knight Riders. Other than Coca-Cola, MelBet and MPL(Mobile Premier League)are the two other sponsors of the Trinbago Knights. The logo of MelBet is featured on the team’s jerseys and at their home arena, too.

The Barbados Royals is the second team to watch out for from the town of Bridgetown, Barbados. Manoj Badale, who hails from the Rajasthan Royals, India, Manish Patel, and USA-based CMG companies own this franchise jointly. The Barbados Royals is officially sponsored by Invest Barbados. In addition to Invest Barbados, Barbados Royals is also sponsored by Fan2play and Wolf 777. In addition to sports, the CMG companies have also shown great interest in hospitality, construction, and real estate. 

The third team is the Guyana Amazon Warriors, coming from the Providence Stadium in Guyana. The GPC incorporated a Guyanese pharmaceutical company owned by Dr. Ranjisinghi Ramroop is the current chairman of the company as well as the owner of this franchise. And as far as the sponsorship of Guyana Amazon Warriors is concerned, ExxonMobil is the official sponsor of this franchise. 

The fourth team is Jamaica Tallawahs, based in Kingston, Jamaica has one of the most loyal fan bases throughout the CPL. Two highly cricket enthusiast entrepreneurs, Kris Persuad and Ron Parikh, who own World Wide Sports Management, now also own the Jamaica Tallawahs franchise. Both are very passionate about cricket and help to promote cricket in the Caribbean island. The title sponsor of the Franchise is Parimatch, the Cyprus-based sports betting company. Alongside this sports betting company, Fanisko is the other sponsor of the Jamaica Tallawahs. 

Based in Warner Park in Basseterre, the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots are the fifth team of the CPL. Since the opening season of the CPL, this franchise includes the St Kitts. The franchise was first owned by the Royal Sports Club associated with Uday Nayak, Nitin Nayak, and Mohan Jashanmal. Mahesh Ramani of the Winning Willows Limited also owns this franchise. Among the primary sponsors, Baji is the principal sponsor of St Kitts and Nevis Patriots, and Youneek Pro Science is the official personal care sponsor.  St. Kitts Tourism, Indiashoppe, and Kayenjet are other sponsors of this franchise. 

Based in the Gros Islet in St Lucia, the Saint Lucia Kings are the sixth team now. In collaboration with Punjab Kings co-owner Mohit Burman, KPH Dream Cricket owns this franchise. Crickex and Freeman's Tools are the official sponsors of this team. The principal sponsor for this franchise is FREEMANS, with the title sponsor being the Crickex.

Caribbean Premier League Teams Brand Value and Revenue

There is no such estimated brand value or net worth in the CPL in comparison to the IPL. In the CPL, there are franchises like the Trinbago Knight Riders, Barbados Royals, and the St Lucia Kings, who are IPL franchises, and these franchises want to expand their market; that’s why they bought some teams of the CPL. The estimated brand value of the KKR and TKR franchise is $ 1.1 billion. 

Antigua and Barbuda Falcons is the team that replaced Jamaica Tallawahs in the year 2024, and its estimated brand value is US$ 469,000. And as far as the Jamaica Tallawahs are concerned, their overall economic activity was US$ 127 million in the year 2018. At the end, the IPL teams have a huge corporate support and the support of a growing economy of India, and also some well-known global corporations. CPL  does not have that support from the Caribbean economy, which is far smaller than the Indian economy. 

Caribbean Premier League Rules and Variations 

Like the rules and regulations of the other T20 leagues, the Caribbean Premier League also has the same procedures as per the International T20 standards. As per the rules in the CPL 2025, every participating team can induct a maximum of four players from overseas in their respective playing squads.

Other than this, each team can have a maximum of 23 players and a minimum of 20 players in the respective squads. The matches of the 2025 CPL edition are to be played stretching from August 14th to  September 21st, and in all, a total of 34 matches will be played out within six host islands venues. Another rule of CPL is that three domestic players under 21 age must be included in the overall squad. And the maximum number of seven International players a franchise can pick in the entire squad. Meanwhile, as far as the fixtures of the CPL are concerned, each team will play 10 group-stage matches, and after that, there will be the knockout stage.

The knockout stage will start from 16th September, the Eliminator will be on 16th. Qualifier 1 will be played on 17th September, 19th September is Qualifier 2 and 21st September, is the final of the Caribbean Premier League. The playing conditions of all the matches in CPL follow the standards of T20 under List A status. The power play, which is in force for the first six overs, allows only two fielders outside the 30-yard circle, and then, on getting over the powerplay, five fielders are allowed outside the said circle. 

Caribbean Premier League Tournament Seasons and Results till now

Jamaica Tallawahs in 2013

The first Caribbean Premier League title was won by the Jamaica Tallawahs. The Jamaica team defeated the Guyana Amazon Warriors in the summit showdown. Legendary West Indian cricketer Chris Gayle was the captain of the Jamaica franchise, and the Guyana team was captained by Ramnaresh Sarwan. Batting first, the GAW could only score 129 runs in 20 overs at the loss of 5 wickets. In reply, the Jamaica captain led from the front and scored a match-winning knock of 47 not out, and it took only 18 balls for Andre Russell to score a quick-fire 33 in 18 balls to wrap it up for the Tallawahs.

Barbados Royals in 2014

Barbados Royals won the second title of the second edition of CPL in 2014. Barbados Royals, or its predecessor  Barbados Tridents, batting first scored a moderate 152 runs at the loss of 6 wickets. Shoaib Malik, the Pakistan international, playing for Barbados, scored a gritty 55 not out. This was a rain-curtailed game, and coming into bat, the Guyana Amazon scored 107 runs in four wickets in 15.5 overs, and Barbados won the title only by six runs in the final. 

Trinbago Knight Riders in 2015

Winning the CPL title on four occasions in 2015, successively in the 2017 and 2018 seasons, and also in 2020, the Trinbago Knight Riders is by far the most successful team. In the 2015 final, playing against the Barbados Royals, Knight Riders chose to bat first and scored 178 runs in 20 overs, and in reply, Barbados only scored 158 runs, losing only four wickets in 20 overs, and TKR won the title for the first time. 

Jamaica Tallawahs in 2016

In the 2016 finals, the Jamaica Tallawahs opted to bowl first against the Guyana Amazon had blown away the Guyana team as they were bowled out for 93 runs. Pakistan international Imad Wasim took 3 wickets for Jamaica, and coming into bat, Jamaica captain Chris Gayle scored a quick-fire 54 runs and won the title for Jamaica Tallawahs for the second time. 

Trinbago Knight Riders in 2017 

Trinbago Knight Riders won the title for the second time under the captaincy of Dwayne Bravo. Batting first, the SKN Patriots under their new captain Chris Gayle scored only 135 runs, losing six wickets in 20 overs. And TKR chasing the target almost lost their plot, but at the end they managed to chase the target, losing seven wickets. 

Trinbago Knight Riders in 2018

The Trinbago Knight Riders continued their success story in their back-to-back Caribbean Premier League titles in 2017 and in 2018, led by the astute captaincy of Dwayne Bravo. Playing against the Amazon Warriors, the Warriors scored 147 runs with the loss of 9 wickets. Chasing 148, the Trinbago Knight Riders chased down the target in 17.3 overs. Khary Pierre of the TKR took 3 wickets, and coming into the chase, Colin Munro played an unbeaten knock of 68 not out in just 39 balls and won the title for TKR. 

Barbados Royals in 2019

In the 2019 CPL, Barbados Royals won the CPL by beating the Amazon Warriors. Batting first, the Barbados Royals scored 171 runs in the loss of six wickets. Local International player Jonathan Carter scored an unbeaten 50 not out in 27 balls. Coming into the chase of Amazon Warriors, where Warriors failed to chase down the target and ended up scoring 144 runs with the loss of 9 wickets. Reymon Reifer of Barbados Royals bowled a devastating spell, taking and helping to restrict the Warriors to 144 runs.

Trinbago Knight Riders in 2020

Trinbago Knight Riders won its third title under a new leader, Kieron Pollard. In the 2020 finals, Trinbago Knight Riders, led by Pollard, restricted the St Lucia Kings to 154 runs. Coming into bat, the Caribbean chased in 18.1 overs with some brilliant stroke play by Lendl Simmons, who scored a blitzkrieg 84 in only 49 balls and won the trophy for TKR.

St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in 2021

In the 2021 season, the honours of CPL went to the St Kitts and Patriots, who won the prestigious title for the first time in that year, beating the St Lucia Kings. St Lucia Kings opted to bat fast and scored a below-par total of 159 runs with the loss of seven wickets. In response, St Kitts and Nevis Patriots clinched the match by three wickets. The likes of Joshua Da Silva and Dominic Drakes have brilliantly scored 37 runs and 48 runs respectively. 

Jamaica Tallawahs in 2022

Jamaica Tallawahs won its third title by beating the Barbados Royals in the 2022 edition. The Barbados Royals were restricted to 161 runs by the Jamaican bowlers. For the JT, Fabian Allen and Nicholson Gordon took three wickets each. Brandon King, coming into bat for the Jamaica side, played a brilliant knock and stayed till the winning run was scored, and hit all over for a stunning 83 runs in 50 balls.

Guyana Amazon Warriors in 2023

After reaching the finals for the first time, the TKR lost the momentum at a crucial time against the Guyana Amazon Warriors. The Amazon Warriors, bowling first, restricted the Knight Riders to a very paltry target of 99. With a devastating spell of four wickets for only 26 runs, Dwaine Pretorius of Guyana was the star of the match. In a largely one-sided match, at the end, the GAW chased down the target easily and won it by a dominating nine wickets. 

St Lucia Kings in 2024

In the previous edition of CPL in 2024, the CPL title Honours was deservingly won by the team St Lucia Kings, defeating the Guyana Amazon Warriors. Coming into the final, the St Lucia Kings decided to bowl first and restricted the Amazon Warriors to an average total of 138/8 with their Afghan leg spinner Noor Ahmed taking three for just 19 runs in a brilliant spell.

In their turn of batting,  St Lucia chased down the target in 18.4 overs for the loss of only four wickets. US batsman Aaron Jones and Roston Chase batted brilliantly and scored undefeated knocks of 39 and 48 runs respectively. 

Caribbean Premier League Awards Till Now 

Most Runs

As far as the most runs in the inaugural season in 2013 are concerned, former Pakistan Captain Shoaib Malik playing for the Barbados Tridents was the leading runs scorer with 272 runs, while Lendl Simmons emerged as the top scorer, amassing 446 runs in the year 2014 as a batter for Guyana Amazon Warriors. In the year 2015, West Indian Legend Chris Gayle was the highest run scorer with 430 runs, leading the Jamaica Tallawahs. On the other hand, in the year 2016, destructive Australian opener Chris Lynn was the highest run scorer with 454 runs. Meanwhile, former West Indies opener Chadwick Walton was the highest run scorer in the year 2017 with 458 runs. 

Most Wickets

And as far as the most wickets section is concerned, in the year 2013, Krishmar Santokie was the highest wicket-taker with 16 wickets. Then, in the year 2014, Ravi Rampaul, with 18 wickets, was the highest wicket-taker of the edition with some show of brilliant spells. In the years 2015 and 2016, Dawyne Bravo was the most successful bowler with impressive figures of 28 and 21 wickets, respectively.

2025 Caribbean Premier League Draft: List of Top Acquisitions 

Imran Tahir, who is one of the most lethal bowlers in the CPL, is evidently one of the most successful in the world of cricket today. So far, he has played 65 CPL matches. In these matches, playing from the year 2018 to 2024, Tahir has taken 78 wickets. The price of $ 210, 000 that Imran Tahir has received from Guyana Amazon Warriors is because of the impact he creates with the ball.  Tahir achieved the distinction of becoming the 4th highest wicket taker from 2018 to 2024 in the history of the Caribbean Premier League. Afghan mystery spinner Mujeeb Ur Rehman is also famous across the leagues all over the world. The price of $ 112, 000 Mujeeb got from Barbados Tridents because of his dominant bowling performances across leagues. 

Mujeeb has played 18 matches so far, and in this small number of matches, Mujeeb has taken 26 wickets already. From a local perspective, Joshua Bishop, a young promising West Indian all-rounder, has already created a brilliant impression in this brief yet successful career in the domestic circuit of West Indies Cricket. In first-class championship matches, the 2023-24 season was the breakout season for this talented cricketer. With the bat, Joshua Bishop has scored 467 runs, which includes a brilliant century and a half-century. In a display of even more stunning performance with the ball, he became the most lethal wicket-taker of the season with 42 wickets at an astonishing average of 20.07. That is why he has been signed with such a high price of $ 112, 000 by the Barbados Tridents.

Broadcasting Channels for Watching Caribbean Premier League