BRIDGETOWN—The Vijay Mallya-owned Barbados Tridents are banking on strong home support and the “feel-good factor” from West Indies’ T20 World Cup triumphs, to drive their campaign in the upcoming Caribbean Premier League.
The 2014 champions open their June 29 to August 7 campaign on July 11 and host four matches at the historic Kensington Oval here. “Kensington Oval is one of world cricket’s most iconic grounds. To be there with a vocal home support behind you is an enormous thrill for the Tridents players and we are fully focused on bringing success back to Barbados this year,” said Tridents chairman, Sid Mallya, who is the son of Vijay Mallya.
“There is a really positive mood around West Indies cricket at the moment, following the success of the West Indies men, women and Under-19 teams over the past few months, and we are determined to build on that feel-good factor over the coming months.”
Tridents, who announced their fixtures on Monday, will open against 2013 champions, Jamaica Tallawahs, in a high octane clash on July 11 and follow up with a contest against St Kitts and Nevis Patriots two days later. They will resume their rivalry with Trinbago Knight Riders —formerly Trinidad Red Steel – on July 16 in a midday encounter before closing out their slate of games against St Lucia Zouks the following night.
Tridents will boast the likes of Twenty20 batting superstar, South African AB de Villiers, along with fellow Proteas Wayne Parnell, Robin Peterson and David Wiese. Pakistan’s Shoaib Malik returns yet again to continue his relationship with Tridents while the West Indies pair of Kieron Pollard and Ravi Rampaul head the list of Caribbean players. Sid Mallya said the upcoming edition of the CPL was full of possibilities, especially with its expansion into the United States market.
“It is an exciting year for all concerned and the chance to spread the game into mainland USA, with matches for all the teams in Fort Lauderdale in the last weekend in July, is a hugely exciting development both for CPL and the game of cricket in general,” said Mallya. “Barbados is a real stronghold for cricket in the Caribbean and the team will be focused on putting on a show for our fans both at home and on the road.” Millionaire Indian businessman Vijay Mallya bought the Tridents earlier this year but has since found himself battling legal and financial problems.
He has been accused of running up debts to Indian banks of nearly US$2 billion and authorities have subsequently issued a warrant for his arrest while also revoking his passport. Mallya has since fled to the United Kingdom and India’s foreign ministry has written the government there requesting his deportation.
