Seven franchises will compete in the 2026 Caribbean Premier League. Trinbago Knight Riders return as defending champions, Jamaica comes back with the new Kingsmen franchise, and Barbados plays under the Tridents name again.
| Team | Territory | 2026 home venue | Players to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Antigua & Barbuda Falcons | Antigua and Barbuda | Sir Vivian Richards Stadium | Alzarri Joseph, Evin Lewis, Moeen Ali |
| Barbados Tridents | Barbados | Kensington Oval | Brandon King, Quinton de Kock, Gudakesh Motie |
| Guyana Amazon Warriors | Guyana | Guyana National Stadium | Shai Hope, Shimron Hetmyer, Imran Tahir |
| Jamaica Kingsmen | Jamaica | Sabina Park | Rovman Powell, Andre Russell, Saim Ayub |
| Saint Lucia Kings | Saint Lucia | Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium | Roston Chase, Tim Seifert, Noor Ahmad |
| St Kitts & Nevis Patriots | St Kitts and Nevis | Warner Park | Jason Holder, Johnson Charles, Wanindu Hasaranga |
| Trinbago Knight Riders | Trinidad and Tobago | Queen’s Park Oval | Nicholas Pooran, Sunil Narine, Kieron Pollard |
What changed for CPL 2026?
The biggest change is Jamaica’s return. The Jamaica Kingsmen are a new Kingston-based franchise and will play their home matches at Sabina Park. They are not a renaming of the former Jamaica Tallawahs. The competition now has seven teams for the first time.
Barbados has also restored the Tridents identity after competing as the Barbados Royals in recent seasons. In Trinidad, all five TKR home games have been confirmed for Queen’s Park Oval rather than the venue shown in the first fixture release.
Antigua & Barbuda Falcons
The Falcons have built around a strong West Indian bowling core. Alzarri Joseph and Jayden Seales give them high pace, while Fabian Allen and Rahkeem Cornwall offer different spin options. Evin Lewis supplies power at the top of the order.
The overseas plan changes during the tournament. Moeen Ali and Kusal Perera are available throughout, Milind Kumar and Tajinder Singh are named for the opening matches, and Pakistan spinners Shadab Khan and Sufiyan Muqeem join for part of the campaign. That rotation gives Antigua more names than a standard 17-player squad list, but only the registered match squad applies at any one time.
Barbados Tridents
Barbados pairs an aggressive batting group with an unusually deep spin attack. Brandon King, Quinton de Kock and Sherfane Rutherford can set or chase a fast target. Gudakesh Motie, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Chris Green and George Linde give the Tridents several ways to control the middle overs.
Kensington Oval hosts five Barbados league matches and the entire playoff week. If the Tridents reach the last four, they will finish the tournament on their home ground.
Guyana Amazon Warriors
Guyana keeps the familiar core of Shai Hope, Shimron Hetmyer, Romario Shepherd and Shamar Joseph. Their overseas group adds experience in every department: Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Glenn Phillips bring attacking batting, Mohammad Nabi and Imran Tahir cover spin, and Dwaine Pretorius adds seam bowling and lower-order hitting.
The Warriors’ five-match home run begins on 4 September. Four of those games start at 7:00 PM AST, with the Patriots match on 6 September scheduled for 10:00 AM.
Jamaica Kingsmen
The new franchise begins with two Jamaican T20 heavyweights in Rovman Powell and Andre Russell. Odean Smith adds pace and late-order power, while Keemo Paul and Keacy Carty broaden the West Indian core.
Jamaica’s overseas group is arranged in phases. Hassan Khan and Hunain Shah are available for the full tournament. Shayan Jahangir and Tayyab Arif cover the opening period, before Saim Ayub, Maaz Sadaqat and Usman Khan join from 19 August. This is why the announced player pool is larger than the active overseas allocation.
Saint Lucia Kings
Roston Chase and Matthew Forde lead the returning West Indian group, joined by young players including Jewel Andrew and Ackeem Auguste. The overseas recruitment leans heavily toward spin. Noor Ahmad, Maheesh Theekshana and Charith Asalanka give Saint Lucia several match-up options, while Tim Seifert can attack the powerplay.
The Kings have five home fixtures at Daren Sammy Stadium between 12 and 21 August, the tightest home block in the league.
St Kitts & Nevis Patriots
Johnson Charles and Andre Fletcher bring the league’s most experienced opening options, with Jason Holder and Kyle Mayers capable of influencing both innings. Wanindu Hasaranga and Waqar Salamkheil strengthen the spin attack, while Naseem Shah provides genuine new-ball pace.
The Patriots play four matches at Warner Park from 27 August to 3 September. Their opening match, however, is a neutral-venue game against TKR at Arnos Vale on 8 August.
Trinbago Knight Riders
The defending champions retain Nicholas Pooran, Sunil Narine, Kieron Pollard and Akeal Hosein. Alex Hales and Colin Munro add proven opening power, while Usman Tariq returns after leading TKR’s wicket tally in their 2025 title season.
All five home fixtures will be played at Queen’s Park Oval from 26 August to 2 September. The current schedule has Jamaica visiting on 29 August and Guyana on 31 August, a swap from the original fixture announcement.
How CPL squads are built in 2026
The standard 17-player squad consists of nine senior West Indies players, five overseas players and three Breakout Players. A team can field no more than four overseas players in its match XI. It must also include at least one player selected in rounds 15 to 17 of the draft.
The rules make squad depth important. A franchise cannot simply select five overseas names and use all of them together. It has to balance international signings with Caribbean players and give a late-round player a place in every XI.
See every player in the CPL 2026 squads, or check the complete match schedule and points table.
CPL 2026 teams questions
How many teams are playing in CPL 2026?
Seven teams will play in the men’s tournament.
Is Jamaica Kingsmen the same team as Jamaica Tallawahs?
No. Jamaica Kingsmen is a new franchise based in Kingston. It brings CPL cricket back to Jamaica and plays its home matches at Sabina Park.
Who are the CPL defending champions?
Trinbago Knight Riders enter the 2026 season as defending champions after winning the 2025 title.
Where can I follow live scores?
Use the CPL live score page during matches.
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