The 2020 Caribbean Premier League competition takes place between August 18th and September 10th. The 6 CPL teams will set up base in Trinidad for 3 weeks with the aim of becoming this years CPL champion

Covid19 has caused a change to the format and location of the matches for this renewal but the cricketing public has a strong sense of anticipation for this CPL. As the first franchise tournament since the pandemic began, CPL 2020 will bring a degree of sporting relief to cricket supporters across the globe.

The CPL 2020 has attracted some of the world's leading exponents of T20 Cricket and possibly the most exciting star on show is Afghan spinner Rashid Khan. Khan will line up for defending champions Barbados Tridents and he will team up with explosive English batsman Alex Hales. Hales is out of the national team picture with England right now due to disciplinary breaches but his hard hitting style should excite Tridents fans during this year's competition.

Pravin Tambre will become the first Indian to take part in the CPL when he debuts for the Trinbago Knight Riders. The Knight Riders can also call upon the services of Sunil Narine who for many pundits is classed as the games most deadly bowler. The Guyana Amazon Warriors have retained almost all of their squad from 2019 whilst adding the elegant Kiwi Ross Taylor to their batting ranks. The St Kitts and Nevis Patriots have a somewhat Australian feel to their line up with Chris Lynn and Ben Dunk both representative of impressive signings. The Tallawahs have local superstars Andre Russell and Rovman Powell in their stellar squad. One man who will not be gracing the CPL 2020 is gun batsman Chris Gayle. Gayle was expected to line up for the St Lucia Zouks but the legendary opener has decided to take a hopefully short break from Cricket. With Gayle an absentee, Darren Sammy will play an even more crucial role in leading the Zouks this year.

The competition also sees a new entrant to the Indian sportsbook scene. IndiBet will be launching their new CricketBook product to coincide with the start of CPL. IndiBet has big plans to shake up the sports betting landscape with a unique approach designed to target a mix of sportsbook bettors and exchange traders. The CricketBook itself employs an ‘under one roof’ format. It pairs traditional ‘Fancy’ style prices alongside Over and Under fixed odds markets. The principle aim of the site is to create an environment where every type of cricket punter can find the type of bet they are looking for. The Cricketbook offers a huge array of cricket betting odds options ranging from the method of the next dismissal to the total number of wides bowled to the number of runs scored from every single delivery. There are literally hundreds of betting options provided.

The IndiBet brand will be the main shirt sponsor of CPL team, the St Lucia Zouks. The hope is that the CPL can act as a springboard for future success for a sportsbook which still has many new innovations to unveil. The site not only has its unique, unrivalled CricketBook, it also offers an Exchange, online casino and slots and in the near future it will also launch a Football product tailored for an Indian audience. Customers will be able to watch the match action live when registering and logging in to bet as well being able to utilise a number of modern features such as in play statistics and live match trackers. There are numerous payment methods and promotions and new customers registering to bet on the CPL can also expect a series of regular ‘odds boost offers’ to further whet their appetite.

IndiBet obviously hopes the CPL will be a big winner for their brand, but who is most likely to win on the field? We asked the Cricket traders at IndiBet to provide us with their lowdown on the movers and shakers in this renewal of the CPL, here are their thoughts:

The defending champions, the Barbados Tridents are sure to defend their crown vigorously. The Tridents have a strong group of players to select from and in Rashid Khan they have the competition's star man. Jamaica and Trinbago look the biggest threat to the Tridents. Trinbago have an equally impressive spin threat to Khan in the shape of Sunil Narine and they also possess a squad that is jam packed with West Indian talent. Leading CPL wicket taker Dwayne Bravo can be a threat with bat and ball whilst Kieron Pollard has the batting power to change the course of any match. The Tallawahs can call upon Glen Phillips, master blaster Andre Russell and West Indian T20 captain Rovman Powell. If Sandeep Lamichane performs well with the ball in hand, it may be that Jamaica can prove victorious in 2020

The CPL is such a closely fought affair that no team can be ruled out when discussing possible winners. Guyana may be able to build upon last season's successful group stage and kick on into the knockout fixtures. If the Patriots are to challenge then much will depend on Aussie Chris Lynn. Sohail Tanvir holds the record for the most 5 wicket hauls in the CPL, if he enjoys a strong CPL this year then his double act with Lynn could see the Patriots go close. The St Lucia Zouks will also fancy their chances of springing a surprise. Being led by Darren Sammy is certainly an advantage.

And who are the IndiBet team predicting to be victorious? We asked their Cricket stats guru, Peter Andrews, to give us his final verdict:

‘I see the September 10th final being a straight shoot out between 2 of the games deadliest spinners, Khan vs Narine as the Barbados Tridents do battle with the Trinbago Knight Riders. Home advantage may just swing it this year and with every game being played in Trinidad, I am tipping the Knight Riders as 2020 CPL winners. Having said this, as proud sponsors of the St Lucia Zouks, everyone at IndiBet is fully behind Darren Sammy and his team in their quest to win this year's competition. We feel the Zouks have a wonderful opportunity to spring a surprise and take the trophy back to St Lucia. We will certainly be cheering on the Zouks and looking to provide new IndiBet customers with a range of special offers, promotions and odds boosts so that they too can back the Zouks.’