Trinidad & Tobago will host this year's edition of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) from August 18 till September 10, confirmed the CPL authorities on Friday (July 10).
The tournament was greatly uncertain due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, but the CPL and T&T government agreed mutually for the league to go ahead despite the viral outbreak.
All 33 matches, including two semi-finals and the final, of the six-team event will be played across two bio-secure venues, without crowd presence and in adherence with the highest safety protocols.
The league will feature its biggest overseas and Caribbean names such as Rashid Khan, Chris Lynn, Carlos Brathwaite, Dwayne Bravo, Alex Hales and Kieron Pollard.
"The CPL have worked with the Trinidad & Tobago Ministry of Health and the CPL’s own board of medical advisors to create protocols which minimize risk of transmission of the COVID-19 virus to the population of Trinidad and in amongst those who will be travelling to Trinidad & Tobago from overseas," reads a tournament media release, outlining all the COVID-19 security plans.
"All teams and officials will be housed in one hotel and everyone will be subject to strict quarantine protocols for the first two weeks they are in the country. Everyone travelling from overseas will be tested for COVID-19, before departure and then again on arrival in Trinidad."
"Teams and officials will be put into “households” where social distancing will need to be in place. There will be smaller clusters within each household where these measures can be relaxed."
"However, if any member of this cluster display signs of COVID-19 at any time during the tournament all members of that cluster will be expected to self-isolate for a period of 14 days from the time that a member of that cohort first shows symptoms."
"All members of the CPL party will be subject to regular temperature checks and will be re-tested for the virus throughout their stay in Trinidad and again before departure."
COO of the CPL, Pete Russell, thanked the T&T government for providing such detailed safety arrangements for the tournament in these times.
"We would like to express our gratitude and thanks to The Hon. Dr. Keith Rowley, Prime Minister of Trinidad & Tobago, The Hon. Shamfa Cudjoe, Minister for Sport and Youth Affairs, The Hon. Terrence Deyalsingh, Minister for Health, Dr. Roshan Parasram, Chief Medical Officer for Trinidad & Tobago, Douglas Camacho, Chairman of Sport TT and their respective ministries and organisations for their support and guidance in making this all possible," said Russell.
“We are really high-class bring high class cricket to the Caribbean and to the rest of the world. The standard of players involved in this year’s tournament will be higher than ever and we can’t wait to get the tournament underway," he added.
T&T had closed its borders in late March in wake of the pandemic, which will be opened for the first time since then for the CPL 2020.
The Caribbean has thankfully dealt with the health crisis much better than a lot of other countries.
T&T has recorded only 133 positive tests and eight deaths until July 9, according to data released by its health ministry.
The nation had closed its borders to even other countries in the region and for its own citizens who are overseas on safety purposes.
"We will continue to monitor the situation concerning COVID-19 and to be on top of it, as it is a rolling situation and requires different rules and regulations as time goes on," T&T minister of sport and youth affairs Shamfa Cudjoe said in a news conference, as per ESPNcricinfo.
"Once we bring off this tournament successfully and I am sure we will, then it will be a lesson for us in hosting other games."
(Inputs from ESPNcricinfo)
