Vincy Premier League to Start on May 22, VPL T10 Tournament to Feature West Indies Cricket Stars

Cricket fans will finally witness some of the international players in action amid the coronavirus crisis when Vincy Premier League (VPL), a T10 tournament, gets underway on May 22. The VPL T10 league, backed by St Vincent and Grenadines Cricket Association (SVGCA), will feature six teams and will be played at the Arnos Vale Sporting Complex in St Vincent till May 31. A total of 30 matches, three per day, will be played in the VPL T10 and these games will be live streamed. CPL 2020: Full List of Players Retained and Signed by Franchises Ahead of Caribbean Premier League T20 Draft.

On May 11, six franchises picked 72 players via a draft. Each team has one marquee player. West Indies international players Kesrick Williams, Sunil Ambris and Obed McCoy are part of the VPL T10 league. The six teams which will take part in VPL are- Botanic Gardens Rangers, Grenadines Divers, Salt Pond Breakers, La Soufriere Hikers, Dark View Explorers and Fort Charlotte Strikers.

Dr. Kishore Shallow, the president of the SVGCA, believes that VPL will provide some action to cricket thirsty fans. "It is an exciting time for cricket in SVG, I can feel the buzz of sports enthusiasts who are thirsty for some cricket and sports," Dr Shallow was quoted as saying in CricketNews.com. CPL 2020: No Discussion on Postponing Caribbean Premier League Yet.

"We came up with this T10 franchise format because of the absence of sports content at this point, and thought that this brand of cricket would be enticing to cricket fans across the globe in a short duration. The competition will be over a 10-day period, and all 30 matches will be streamed live," he added.

As per the ESPNCricinfo report, players will not be allowed to use saliva on the ball as part of preventive measures. "No player would be allowed to use any saliva on the ball. Of course, we will be having different dedicated, assigned spaces around the players' pavilion for teams so that they are not necessarily crowded together. All teams would have their own space where they could practise physical distancing." Dr Shallow said.

"What we have been doing is managing the risk. So what we plan to do during the tournament is ask spectators to practise social and physical distancing. So they will be sitting at least a few seats apart. And because of the time the matches are taking place, we do not anticipate a massive crowd at the matches," he added.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 14, 2020 11:49 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).