Captain Rovman Powell insists the Jamaica Kingsmen will bring their best for this season's Caribbean Premier League despite it being their first in the competition.
The Kingsmen franchise is the second Jamaican-based team to participate in the CPL after the Tallawahs, which was made defunct following the 2023 season.
Powell says this does not give his team a free pass to let the standards slip.
“No, it's not a case of settling,” Powell began. “A lot has been invested from a financial standpoint with getting the franchise and those kinds of things. With us as cricketers, our careers are at stake. It's not a matter of settling. Each and every year you want to get better. So we [will] see how best we can perform this year, and then each year we see if we can go a little bit better.”
Powell thinks the young Jamaican core has a key role to play not just this season but also in the franchise's long-term future, but says they will need to adapt quickly.
West Indies captain Hayley Matthews has been shortlisted for the ICC Women’s Player of the Month award for July, with all-rounder Justin Greaves also making the final three for the Men’s honour.
Matthews’ remarkable all-round form continued during Windies’ 3-0 One-Day International series victory over Ireland in July, taking charge with both bat and ball.
The Barbadian produced a career-best 159 in a winning chase in the opening encounter at the Bready Cricket Ground, after claiming 3 for 52 to help restrict the hosts.
League seeking other ways to recognise deceased Windies legend
The Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) will pay tribute to Sir Garfield Sobers, widely regarded as the greatest all-rounder the game has ever produced, with a minute's applause ahead of the first match at each tournament location this season.
The gesture will be observed once in every host territory as CPL travels across the Caribbean, ensuring fans in each country the tournament visits have the opportunity to honour Sir Garfield's life and legacy. For many supporters, this will be the first chance to publicly show how much Sir Garfield's contribution to Caribbean cricket meant to them, coming together as one to applaud a man who shaped the game they love.
CPL will continue to find further ways to honour Sir Garfield's contribution to West Indies and world cricket throughout the season, including at the tournament final, which returns to his home ground of Kensington Oval, Barbados, in 2026.
Richards: That’s pushing it in my opinion. It’s pushing it in a very big way.
Former West Indies captain Sir Vivian Richards believes head coach Daren Sammy crossed the line with his recent comments regarding the reason for Alzarri Joseph’s absence from the just-concluded Pakistan Tests.
Sammy told reporters on the eve of the first contest that Joseph “declined selection,” in conflict with Cricket West Indies’ earlier release, which stated that the fast bowler was “unavailable for selection due to personal reasons.”
Sir Viv says if Sammy’s comments were exaggerated in any way, it may have a lasting effect on Joseph’s future.
“This sometimes hampers guys’ professional careers; such statements, if they're not true and stuff like that, a lot of things linger,” he told the Antigua Observer.
The Jamaica Kingsmen have partnered with Triple Gold Rums Limited and its recently launched premium spirits brand, Rich Rum, founded by cricket icon Chris Gayle, for the 2026 and 2027 seasons of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL).
The two-year agreement will see Rich Rum serve as the exclusive rum partner for the Kingsmen’s home matches at Sabina Park, starting with the franchise’s four home games from August 11 to 18.
Gayle, who captained the Jamaica Tallawahs to two titles in five seasons, said the partnership with the Kingsmen was an opportunity to support Jamaican cricket and help restore the country’s place among the leading franchises in the region.
“I am very proud to support Jamaican cricket at Sabina Park through our partnership with the Jamaica Kingsmen,” Gayle said. “Sabina Park has a rich history and holds many fond memories for me. I can’t wait to return to and enjoy our great-tasting, single-estate, triple-distilled, 100% Jamaican Rich Rum while cheering on the Jamaica Kingsmen in their quest for a CPL championship.”
