BT Sport will bring cricket fans exclusive coverage of the Caribbean Premier League this summer after securing a two-year deal to cover the West Indies’ premier T20 tournament.
The channel will screen live coverage of all 30 matches from one of the most exciting T20 tournaments in the world, featuring the likes of former England batsman Kevin Pietersen, who will play for St Lucia Zouks, as well as established West Indian stars Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard and Dwayne Bravo.
BT Sport’s coverage of the 2014 tournament will begin on July 11 with the opening match between Amazon Warriors and Hawksbills in Grenada, live at 7.00pm on BT Sport 2.
Playing a key role in BT Sport’s programming during the tournament will be the Ashes-winning former England off-spinner Graeme Swann, who will form part of the commentary team which will bring fans live coverage of every match, all of which will be broadcast in a viewer-friendly prime-time slot.
Additionally, BT Sport will air regular one-hour highlights shows throughout the tournament featuring all the key action from every match.
The 2014 Caribbean Premier League features six teams from across eight Caribbean countries playing in eight different venues, including the familiar international venues in Guyana, Barbados, Grenada, Antigua, Trinidad, Jamaica, St Lucia and St Kitts.
Each team plays each other in a league format with the top four teams progressing to a play off phase.
Leading West Indies players such as Sunil Narine and Darren Sammy will be available for selection, plus international stars will feature such as Shahid Afridi and Muttiah Muralitharan.
Grant Best, senior executive channel producer, BT Sport, said: “We are delighted to continue enhancing and expanding our multi-sport line up by bringing fans not only one of the most exciting cricket tournaments globally, but also the eagerly-awaited return to the crease of Kevin Pietersen.”
The Caribbean Premier League was created in 2013 and replaced the former Caribbean Twenty20 as the premier T20 competition in the region.
Last year’s inaugural CPL tournament staged in July/August was broadcast by BT Sport as part of the channel’s launch programming and was won by the Jamaica Tallawahs, who defeated the Guyana Amazon Warriors in the final.
The CPL is also the only major TV cricket rights contract not held by Sky Sports, who currently dominate the live cricket landscape with its exclusive deals for international cricket in England, Australia, South Africa and India, plus the Australian T20 Big Bash and, from 2015, the Indian Premier League.
Damien O’Donohoe, CEO, Caribbean Premier League, said: “We are delighted to partner with BT Sport who have quickly established themselves as a major player in sports media in the UK.
“The Caribbean Premier League was a huge success in its first year and we are now attracting the world’s best players such as Kevin Pietersen. We have big ambitions for the tournament going forward.”
The addition of the Caribbean Premier League T20 adds to BT Sport’s summer of programming which includes Baker & Kelly Not in Rio, hosted live by Danny Baker and Danny Kelly each evening throughout the FIFA World Cup.
BT Sport will also bring sports fans live coverage of pre-Wimbledon grass court tennis tournaments, FA Women’s Super League, Premiership Rugby 7s and a host of pre-season football friendlies.
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