Antigua Barbuda – By Neto Baptiste
Antigua Barbuda T20 Premier
The second instalment of the Antigua and Barbuda T20 Premier League will be held between June 6-21 this year.
This was announced by one member of the league’s organizing committee, Donald ‘Don’ Charles, who said the time slot was chosen following consultation with both Cricket West Indies (CWI) and the Antigua and Barbuda Cricket Association (ABCA).
“After consultation with the Cricket West Indies and looking at the local calendar, etc., it was suggested that the best time to have the tournament was starting on June the 6th. The reason for that is the Cricket West Indies is having the four-day tournament in Antigua from, I think it’s April 7th all the way down to May 28th so they’re going to be using all the top venues and players are going to be playing for Leeward Islands and whomever. So based upon that, and they will also still allow for the cricket association to have their four-day following on from the two-day tournament so it’s a nice build-up and everything will fit in,” he said.
The league, which was first held in 2025 by the Antigua and Barbuda Cricket Clubs Alliance, a consortium of local cricket clubs, replaced the popular Cool & Smooth T20 Explosion following failed attempts to settle a dispute regarding compensation for players.
“We understand that it is a new tournament. It is our tournament, the clubs, and so if there are any losses, we will stand those losses, and if there are any gains, we will get those gains. So at the end of the day, even though we owe the players, it is something that we can do retroactively. Whenever we get a surplus, we can always give them and they would understand because all of us own it, all the players own it, all the clubs own it,” he said.
“What is very critical too, and I think people need to understand this, as the competition grows in terms of financially, and we know it’s going to happen over the years, and we start to see more profits, you’re going to see more club development, because I think that is exactly where the money is targeted,” he added.
As for a venue, Benjamin said the hope is to centralize matches for this year’s tournament, revealing that talks will be held with manager at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Stadium, Keithroy Black.
“After discussion, it was best that we go back to Black maybe earlier and have a discussion with him and the ground staff to see. ARG won’t be available and so because, you know, they will turn it over to festivals. So I think we’re looking again at Sir Viv Richards,” the former player said.
The top six teams coming out of the ongoing Two Day Tournament will qualify for this year’s Antigua & Barbuda T20 Premier League. In similar fashion to last year, players from the remaining three teams, which excludes Tertiary Institutions & Schools, will be placed in a draft where they could be picked up by one of the six qualified teams.
The Liberta Blackhawks and New Winthorpes Lions were announced joint champions of the inaugural Antigua and Barbuda T20 Premier League last year after rain forced the abandonment of the final in Liberta
