Caribbean Premier League: Kingsmen Sports Enterprise acquires Jamaican Franchise for 2026 Season

Jamaica: Kingsmen Sports Enterprise has officially acquired the franchise of Jamaican team for the Caribbean Premier League 2026. Jamaica will enter into the T20 tournament under the ownership of the PSL team owner Kingsmen Houston Hyderabad who has officially declared the entrance of the team and the country as a venue.

Both the teams are currently being owned by US-based businessman Fawad Sarwar who is a Pakistan born. He also owns the Hyderabad franchise in the Pakistan Super League and the Chicago Kingsmen in Minor League Cricket in the USA.

The CPL didn’t reveal the new owner of the Jamaican franchise when it confirmed the T20 tournament’s return to the island in a statement on Monday. However, it was reported that Sarwar’s takeover will be officially announced in the coming weeks.

Sarwar’s group beat a number of interested parties to the Jamaican franchise which has been inactive since 2023 following former owner Kris Persaud’s move to start the Falcons franchise in Antigua.

As first reported by ESPN Cricinfo, the GMR Group, co-owners of the Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League (IPL), were in advanced discussions but talks ultimately fell through.

CPL CEO Pete Russell, Cricket West Indies president Dr Kishore Shallow and Sports Minister Olivia Grange expressed excitement at the tournament’s return to Jamaica in a statement on Monday.

The tournament, set to run from early August to September 20, will see matches return to Sabina Park for the first time since 2019. The OG franchise from the country, Jamaica Tallawahs, had not featured in the last two editions of the CPL after some major changes in the ownership situation. They were replaced in the competition by Antigua and Barbuda Falcons.

The exact details of the tournament structure for the next season have not been revealed at this point. The team won the title of the Caribbean Premier League in 2013, 2016 and 2022.