CPL players leave immediately for IPL

PLAYERS who recently competed in the 2020 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) have already left Trinidad for the Indian Premier League (IPL), which will bowl off in the United Arab Emirates, on September 19.

Colin Borde, manager of 2020 CPL champions Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR), told Newsday that the players who will represent Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the IPL left on Friday. TKR and KKR are both owned by Red Chillies Entertainment and the Mehta Group.

“KKR players from the league (CPL)…they all left (on Friday) night for Dubai via Malta and are en route to Dubai as we speak,” Borde said on Saturday afternoon.

TKR pair Ali Khan and Sunil Narine, along with Jamaica Tallawahs allrounder Andre Russell and Guyana Amazon Warriors captain and off-spinner Chris Green left to join KKR. They were joined by TKR vice-captain Dwayne Bravo who will play for Chennai Super Kings. TKR leg-spinner Pravin Tambe, who became the first Indian to play in the CPL, joined them on the flight.

TKR captain Kieron Pollard departed on Thursday night immediately after the finals were played to join the Mumbai Indians. Sherfane Rutherford of the Amazon Warriors arrived in UAE alongside Pollard to play for Mumbai.

Other West Indies cricketers who will play in the IPL are Shimron Hetmyer, Keemo Paul (Delhi Capitals), Chris Gayle, Nicholas Pooran, Sheldon Cottrell (Kings XI Punjab), Fabian Allen (Sunrisers Hyderabad) and Oshane Thomas (Rajasthan Royals).

The rest of the foreign players who represented TKR left on Saturday for their respective destinations. They include the New Zealand pair of Colin Munro and Tim Seifert, Australian Fawad Ahmed and Sikandar Raza of Zimbabwe.