LOCAL PLAYERS CONFIRMED FOLLOWING CPL DRAFT

The Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) draft has taken place, with the seven teams confirming the West Indian players who will form part of their squads for the 2026 tournament, which runs from 7 August to 20 September. Overseas players will be announced over the coming weeks.

The Barbados Tridents have selected Gudakesh Motie, who leaves the Guyana Amazon Warriors after five years with his home franchise. The Tridents also re-drafted fellow Guyanese player Sherfane Rutherford, who was part of the Barbados squad in 2025. Barbados used their Right to Match Options (RMOs) to re-sign Brandon King, Kadeem Alleyne, Rivaldo Clarke, Johann Layne and Kofi James. Zishan Motara also returns to the Tridents for 2026.

The Trinbago Knight Riders have used their RMOs to re-sign Sunil Narine, Nicholas Pooran, Kieron Pollard, Akeal Hosein and Terrance Hinds. That hugely experienced core will be vital as the Knight Riders look to defend the title they secured in 2025. There are also some new faces in the squad, with Barbadians Justin Greaves and Dominic Drakes joining the Trinidad & Tobago franchise for the first time. Jyd Goolie will represent his home team for the first time, having played for the St Kitts & Nevis Patriots in 2025. He will be joined by newcomers Dexter Sween and Abdul Raheem-Toppin.

The St Kitts & Nevis Patriots have drafted Johnson Charles, the CPL’s all-time leading run-scorer. He is joined by Andre Fletcher, who sits second on the CPL run-scoring charts. The Patriots used an RMO to re-sign Fletcher, while also right to matching Kyle Mayers, Alick Athanaze and Mikyle Louis. They have drafted Jason Holder back into the squad and secured the services of Kevin Wickham and Obed McCoy, who both join the team for the first time in 2026.

The Guyana Amazon Warriors have used their RMOs to retain Shimron Hetmyer, Romario Shepherd, Shai Hope and Shamar Joseph. While they lost Gudakesh Motie to the Tridents, they have replaced him with fellow left-arm spinner Khary Pierre, who was part of the Kings squad in 2025. The remainder of the Amazon Warriors squad is made up of Guyanese players, with Ronaldo Alimohamed, Veersammy Permaul, Mavendra Dindyal and Jonathan van Lange all joining the 2026 squad. Of the 12 local players selected by the Warriors, 10 are from Guyana.

The Jamaica Kingsmen have drafted two experienced local players with outstanding T20 records in Rovman Powell and Andre Russell. They have also selected fellow Jamaicans Odean Smith, Vitel Lawes, Jeavor Royal and Kirk McKenzie. The Kingsmen have additionally picked Keemo Paul, Keacy Carty and Shaqkere Parris, all of whom have previous CPL experience.

The Antigua & Barbuda Falcons welcome local star Alzarri Joseph to the squad after his five-season stint with the Saint Lucia Kings. The Falcons have also signed the hugely experienced Evin Lewis, who leaves the Patriots after more than a decade with the St Kitts & Nevis franchise. The Falcons used RMOs to re-sign Fabian Allen, Jayden Seales and Amir Jangoo. They have also brought back Shamar Springer, Rahkeem Cornwall and Karima Gore, who were all part of the Falcons squad in 2025. New faces include Anderson Mahase and Anderson Phillip.

The Saint Lucia Kings used their RMOs to retain Roston Chase, Matthew Forde and Keon Gaston. They have brought in exciting Antiguan batter Jewel Andrew, while also welcoming back Saint Lucian McKenny Clarke, who was with the Knight Riders in 2025. The Kings have also selected Trinidadian top-order batter Kamil Pooran, along with Damion Joachim, Joshua Bishop and Darron Nedd.
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​The drafted players are as follows: ​
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​RMO – Right to Match ​
​RET – Retained ​
​* – Breakout player

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