Cricket West Indies to cut tournaments due to financial pressure

West Indies: Cricket West Indies has decided to cut down tournaments in the 2026 calendar due to the financial pressures and other problems. Amid the issues, the board has decided to cut down the key tournaments as well, aiming to meet player salaries and other financial obligations.

Now, the board will scale back the 2026 cricket calendar by scrapping the Under-17 cricket tournaments, merging women's tournaments and removing Combined Campuses and Colleges (CCC) and the West Indies Academy from men’s competitions.

The announcement was made by CEO Chris Dehring who also explained the entire matter at the press conference. He noted that there will be several tours in 2026 that will be hosted by other countries including Sri Lanka, Pakistan and New Zealand. All these tours will be costly and result in losses to the board.

He further explained that the series against India or England will result in a benefit and generate considerable income for the board. However, the funds have been generated from the 2024 T20 World Cup, but those have already been spent on several expenses of the players and the tournaments.

Due to this, Cricket West Indies decided to make the decision to safeguard themselves from further losses. Director of Cricket Miles Bascombe also talked about the problems within the board and noted that they are working to resolve these issues.

He also stressed that while tournaments are reduced, the events such as Under-19 formats will bring new talent in the team as they will get exposure to big scale tournaments.

As per the reports, the board is making moves to lobby the ICC tournaments for their pressures of the finances. They are now working more closely with CARICOM and the governments to push for stronger corporate support to stabilize West Indies Cricket. As the board is in the loop, the players are also under pressure for their futures.