Trinidad and Tobago going to host the entire 2020 CPL
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|| Desk Report ||
The Caribbean Premier League (CPL), an annual T20 blockbuster cricket tournament, is going to be hosted entirely in Trinidad and Tobago.
Minister for Youth and Sports in Trinidad and Tobago Shamfa Cudjoe announced this through a media release on Thursday that the island nation is going to be the only venue for this year’s edition of the CPL T20 tournament.
A total of 34 matches will be played at the Brian Lara Stadium, Tarouba and at the Queen’s Park Oval, Port-of Spain.
Shampa Cudjoe said that the tournament will take place from August 18- September 12, with no spectators as the government is not willing to take any chance and assure to follow a very strict protocol considering the COVID-19 pandemic situation.
“At today’s meeting the Cabinet agreed to the hosting of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) T20 tournament in Trinidad over the period August 18, 2020 to September 12, 2020 with strict adherence to the COVID-19 guidelines,” Shamfa Cudjoe stated in a media release.
Cudjoe also said that her ministry is pairing with the Ministry of Health and Sports chairman Douglas Camacho, a local organising committee, to prepare the COVID-19 guidelines for the three-week highly anticipated tournament.
Over 250 players and staff from the six franchise teams of CPL will be staying at the Hilton Trinidad, St Ann’s.
“We would have sat and negotiated the COVID protocols as it relates to quarantining before they (players) leave their home country, when they arrive in Trinidad and Tobago to have the quarantining done here also,” the minister added.
The players will be hurdled into the Hilton Trinidad, where they will be staying for the duration of the tournament which is about a total of 41 days. As per the COVID-19 protocols, each player or officials not from TT will be tested at their own country or region before they arrive in Trinidad and Tobago.
On arrival, they will have to go through COVID-19 test again and if that's negative then they will go into self-isolation at the Hilton hotel, Trinidad for seven days and at the end of the seventh days, they will be given further tests. Once they remain negative then they are allowed to join small groups of their teams for the upcoming tournament.
At the end of the 14th day, they will give the final test and once that is negative then they are allowed to join their entire team.
“They would be tested before leaving home to ensure they are negative, tested when they get here to Trinidad and Tobago. Tested on their seventh day and then tested again on their fourteenth day,” the Minister said.
Cudjoe also added that the investment for the tournament is going to be US$ one million where half is paid in cash and the other half, in kind, to ensure the operation of the league goes well
