Caribbean Premier League 2014: 10 Noteworthy Deals
The player draft for the 2014 Caribbean Premier League has taken place, with the six teams from the West Indies now having filled their squads with top international and domestic players.
After 13 rounds of selection involving over 200 players, the tournament is now ready to start in July at venues across the Caribbean.
Before we turn our attention to the start of this tournament, let’s first take a look back at the draft, some of the biggest names to be selected and the biggest deals to be made.
Read on for some of the most notable acquisitions from this year’s player draft.
All fees in U.S. Dollars.
10. Carlos Brathwaite
Team: Antigua Hawksbills
Price: $40,000
A domestic player who does not have a great deal of international experience, Carlos Brathwaite was selected relatively early in proceedings. He will turn out for Antigua.
The 25-year-old is clearly still learning his game, but it is clear he is well thought of in West Indian cricketing circles.
9. Nasir Jamshed
Team: Trinidad & Tobago Red Steel
Price: $30,000
Someone who has shown a good deal of ability in Twenty20 cricket is tournament newcomer Nasir Jamshed, who was selected in the fifth round by Trinidad & Tobago.
With his aggressive style of batting, the Pakistani could well be a superb find for the Red Steel in this year’s draft.
8. Jerome Taylor
Team: Jamaica Tallawahs
Price: $30,000
He may have dropped off the international radar somewhat, but West Indian fast bowler Jerome Taylor is still well-regarded and was selected by Jamaica in the fifth round.
Still only 29 years old, it will be Taylor’s first season in the Caribbean Premier League, having made his international debut over 10 years ago.
7. Rusty Theron
Team: Jamaica Tallawahs
Price: $20,000
With their sixth-round pick, Jamaica selected South African Juan “Rusty” Theron, who has shown himself to be a superb bowler at the death.
This year will be Theron’s first appearance in the Caribbean Premier League, and after a stop-start international career, he may well see this as a chance to get back into contention.
6. Krishmar Santokie
Team: Guyana Amazon Warriors
Price: $30,000
The Most Valuable Player in last year's tournament, Krishmar Santokie might have expected to be selected a little earlier than the fifth round based on his performances in 2013.
However, no other bids were forthcoming. As a result, he was retained by Guyana, who will be hoping he can rediscover the form that saw him take 16 wickets in nine matches last time out.
5. Sohail Tanvir
Team: St. Lucia Zouks
Price: $50,000
New to the Caribbean Premier League this year is Pakistani left-armer Sohail Tanvir, an enormously impressive operator in T20 cricket.
Having already shown himself to be tremendously effective in T20 tournaments around the world, Tanvir will be looking for more of the same in the Caribbean.
At $50,000, he could be an absolute steal for St. Lucia.
4. David Hussey
Team: Antigua Hawksbills
Price: $70,000
The vastly experienced David Hussey stands on the cusp of his first season in the Caribbean Premier League, and he was snapped up very early by Antigua.
Having registered a base salary of $40,000 with the league, Hussey has seen his earnings increase dramatically, and he may be enormously helpful for last year’s second-bottom franchise.
3. Shakib Al Hasan
Team: Barbados Tridents
Price: $80,000
Returning to the Barbados Tridents for the 2014 tournament is Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan.
He impressed greatly in the 2013 edition, so it is no surprise that he has been retained by the Tridents.
After his exploits last year, this was a well-received selection.
2. Sheldon Cottrell
Team: Antigua Hawksbills
Price: $80,000
Retained by Antigua but for an improved salary on last year, Sheldon Cottrell’s meteoric rise as a cricketer continues.
He has played just one T20 International and one Test, but the Hawksbills feel he is worth the money and definitely worth keeping from last year.
1. Kevin Pietersen
Team: St. Lucia Zouks
Price: $80,000
It was the opening selection of the entire draft, and the St. Lucia Zouks surprised precisely no one in selecting former England batsman Kevin Pietersen.
Last year’s bottom side will be paying Pietersen $80,000 for his time with them, and he will be embarking on an ambitious schedule that will see him play T20 cricket for both the Zouks and Surrey on separate sides of the Atlantic Ocean.
It could be a tiring few weeks for the 33-year-old, but St. Lucia will be delighted to have such an explosive batsman at the top of their order this year.