Contrasting results of CPL, PCL

IT has become increasingly clear that the Caribbean’s two new, high-profile franchise tournaments, the West Indies Cricket Board’s first-class Professional Cricket League (PCL) and the privately financed and organised T20 Caribbean Premier League (CPL), cannot comfortably coexist.

Conde Riley, head of the PCL Barbados Tridents franchise, maintained last week that, at a time of global recession, the economies of the mini-states of West Indies cricket simply could not properly sustain both.

He attributed the PCL’s general failure to attract sponsors principally to competition from the strongly financed, marketed, promoted and staged CPL.

The WICB has set a deadline of four years for the six franchises to become self-sufficient. Until then, it disburses US$45 000 to each to cover fees for players and coaches, general preparation of teams and the like.

WICB president Dave Cameron has warned that franchises must run their operations more efficiently or face the prospect of losing the monthly grant.
“The board has taken a decision that if franchises do not comply with the standard, there could be penalties, and the only penalties we could exact is the withholding of funds,” he said.