St. Lucia Stars Booted From CPL: What’s Next For Caribbean Cricket

In mid-August it was announced that the Saint Lucia Stars’ participation agreement with the Caribbean Premier League had been terminated. Since then we’ve learned that the Saint Lucia Zouks will replace them. The Stars remain a team but will not be taking to the field in the new CPL Twenty20 season starting on September 4. 

At time of writing, the reason the Stars have been ejected from the competition remains undisclosed. Reports elsewhere have indicated financing issues as the most likely culprit. Team financing issues are something that can embattle many sports leagues yet, whenever they arise, questions are invariably asked about both the team and the league in which it played. 

So, where do the Saint Lucia Stars go from here? And what must cricket fans know about the state of cricket in the Caribbean right now?

The Stars All Out

For the Zouks, their return to the CPL is a homecoming. The Zouks were an original franchise when the League first launched in 2013, and were then replaced in 2016 by the Stars. Now the tables have turned once more.

To Saint Lucians who are casual cricket fans and just want to ensure a local team is represented, the news may simply seem akin to a ‘name change’. Even so, such a change can see a slew of problems, from logistical challenges to a drop in brand value, to litigation afoot that distracts the League.  Indeed, at time of writing it appears a formal legal challenge is on the cards.

As Royal Sports Club chief executive and owner of the Saint Lucia Stars Jay Pandya told ESPN in recent days: “CPL Limited has absolutely no basis, legal or otherwise, to terminate our contractual rights to operate St Lucia Stars,” and that, in turn, “We vehemently dispute CPL’s decision and will use all means necessary to vindicate our rights. This is an attempt to bully us, plain and simple. We are confident in our position and look forward to securing justice against CPL’s blatantly illegal act, in the appropriate court of law.”

An Even Playing Field

The past month has seen cricket fans around the world reflecting fondly on the 2019 ICC World Cup, especially the final between England and New Zealand which many have called the greatest game of cricket ever. As we detailed last month in Businessweek’s ‘What The 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup Shows Us About Hosting Major Events’, the success of the ICC also showed that cricket globally has been enjoying great growth in recent times. Yet, although the sport’s popularity is growing around the world, it’s not growing equally. In some respects, this is unavoidable. After all, with cricket the most popular sport in India’s nation of 1.3 billion people, that country’s capacity to grow the game will always outpace a nation with a smaller population.

Even so, there are still many pitfalls for leagues, big or small. This was seen in 2018 with the failed attempt of Cricket South Africa’s T20 Global League. It’s understood that the reason the League stalled was the inability to secure an adequate TV deal that would drive revenue.

The CPL is a young competition, less than a decade old. As distinct from other leagues that are much older, some teething problems can be anticipated. There’s also the question of structural stability. If the Saint Lucia Stars have gone bust because of their inability to manage the chequebook, that’s one thing; if the structures of the League itself contributed to their demise, then all CPL fans will worry that other teams may follow the Stars out of the CPL. The reality is that the League established a strong and profitable competition in the region, with research revealing it generated US$166 million during 2014, and a 2016 report citing a net benefit of $102,670,565 to Caribbean nations who host a CPL team.

However the League spins it (and this remains an unfolding story), fans and commercial supporters will certainly regard teams being added as a success, just as their departures under a cloud of intrigue can damage the League, and confidence in it. 

Playing a Straight Bat 

The consequences of upheaval in a local league also go beyond dollars and cents, and can impact the competitive performance of the West Indies on the field. This is why it’s important that local leagues are strong. It’s not only great for the fans, but for the cricket community as a whole.  It helps ensure local homegrown talent features in the local leagues. 

The recent tale of Jofra Archer is a key example of this. The past couple of weeks have seen Archer put on a sensational bowling masterclass during the Ashes series between England and Australia. Barbadian-born Archer spent the majority of his formative years in the Caribbean, before relocating to England. There’s a lot of water under the bridge in Archer’s story, with controversy surrounding his faster eligibility to play for England resulting from a recent rule change by English cricketing authorities. 

It’s also believed that  Archer harbours a grudge against the West Indies for cutting him after he played for them in Under-19s three times in 2014. Yet unquestionably, the lure of England, and its capacity to be a springboard to lucrative opportunities, has played a role. 

The Caribbean Premier League does not need to match dollar for dollar salaries on offer elsewhere to keep local players playing locally. Like many pro athletes in other leagues, they feel the lure of home, and desire to contribute to the game where they grew up by playing in their home country, or at least nearby in the region. Just the same, there does need to be a compelling proposition put forward.

When teams are cut loose or leagues struggle, that not only undermines the game in the present, but impacts its future. However it’s considered, while many cricket fans in the Caribbean continue to wish Jofra Archer well personally, on a professional level, events that have seen him suit up for England over the West Indies have been called a tragedy among some quarters; someone who has the makings of a generational talent, lost to his team of origin.

The Caribbean Premier League Twenty20 season runs from September 4 to October 12. For now, the future of the Stars remains up in air. The League is bigger than any one team, with the previous exit and now subsequent return of the Zouks showing that. But for a league that aspires to go from strength to strength, any team’s departure will always reflect badly on the CPL.