St Lucia Zouks to replace suspended Stars in CPL 2019
‘St Lucia Zouks’ will replace the suspended St Lucia Stars in the Caribbean Premier League 2019, the tournament organisers have announced.
Until it was rechristened Stars for the 2017 edition, the franchise carried the name Zouks, starting with the inaugural season in 2013, when it was one of the original six teams.
The announcement comes a week after the CPL terminated the contract of Stars, owned by Royal Sports Club, LLC, and run by a Philadelphia-based businessman, Jay Panda.
BREAKING NEWS : ST LUCIA ZOUKS TO REPLACE ST LUCIA STARS!!! Read more ➡️ https://t.co/vwsouJBGyx #CPL19 #BiggestPartyInSport #CricketPlayedLouder pic.twitter.com/LxZlIF5Ak4
— CPL T20 (@CPL) August 15, 2019
“CPL Limited is in the process of establishing and operating a new franchise to be based in St Lucia that will participate in the 2019 Caribbean Premier League,” the original release had stated.
According to ESPNcricinfo, Panda called the decision “an attempt to bully” his franchise, also adding that they will take the legal route to dissolve the “illegal” decision.
“This is an attempt to bully us, plain and simple. We are confident in our position and look forward to securing justice against CPL’s blatantly illegal act in the appropriate court of law,” he said.
The Zouks were one of the six original teams launched in 2013
In a separate statement, the franchise expressed displeasure at the axing: “CPL Limited has absolutely no basis, legal or otherwise, to terminate our contractual rights to operate the St. Lucia Stars. We vehemently dispute CPL’s decision and will use all means necessary to vindicate our rights.”
The Stars had brought in Lasith Malinga and Fawad Alam in the player drafts in May this year, in an attempt to bolster a side that hasn’t been able to win the tournament so far. Their best performance came in 2016, when they won six out of their 10 group games, finishing third on the points table before eventually losing in the Eliminator.
The tournament is set to be held between September 4 and October 12. The new franchise will be based in St Lucia, which will host five home games from September 20 to 27.
The Zouks will begin their campaign against Guyana Amazon Warriors.
