Trinbago Knight Riders win their fifth CPL title, but at what cost?
26.09.25, 12:46 Updated 27.09.25, 11:14
Trinbago Knight Riders hadn’t won a Caribbean Premier League title in four years, but they put that behind them with a comprehensive CPL final victory over Guyana Amazon Warriors. Give them their flowers, but their victory raises important questions about the future of the competition.
Trinbago's starting XI for the final featured seven players over the age of 34, with only two available for the West Indies in Akeal Hosein and Keacy Carty. A common cry in the Caribbean is that the CPL is a franchise competition where half of the teams are owned by IPL franchises. Ergo, the competition owes West Indies nothing and is purely for our entertainment. If that is the extent of our expectations for our premier domestic competition, then we should pack up T20 cricket in the region.
Trinbago Knight Riders' victory shouldn’t be denigrated, but serious questions should be asked about where our cricket is going.
Current rules dictate that five overseas players can play in your starting XI if you play a Breakout League player. That rule is well-meaning, but Trinbago’s Breakout League player, McKenny Clarke, only bowled a total of three overs in four games. What was his role? Why was he picked? How did this help him or his region?
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