Guyana Amazon Warriors. (Photo Source: CPL)
Guyana is all set to host South America’s first standalone cricket tournament, the Global Super League (GSL), from November 26 to December 7. The innovative T20 competition brings together five established teams from different corners of the world, competing for a substantial prize purse of USD 1 million.
The tournament includes the Caribbean Premier League’s Guyana Amazon Warriors, Pakistan Super League’s Lahore Qalandars, England’s Hampshire Hawks, Bangladesh Premier League’s Rangpur Riders, and Australia’s state team Victoria. The opening clash will see home favorites Amazon Warriors take on the Qalandars.
Hampshire’s Director of Men’s Cricket, Giles White, spoke about the tournament’s significance.
“The league shows Guyana’s ambition to become a global sporting destination. International club competition has proven itself to be successful across other sports and has been lacking in cricket for some time. It has been sanctioned by Cricket West Indies (CWI) and fully supported by the government of Guyana, a key stakeholder in the competition, and has a prize money of US$1 million,” White said as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.
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GSL to collide with West Indies Test series against Bangladesh
The tournament will have 11 matches scheduled across as many days at the Guyana National Stadium in Providence. Each team will face off once in the group stage, with the top two advancing to the final, to be held on December 7. The organisers have confirmed the league to be played an annual event, with different teams from around the world being invited each season.
However, the tournament faces some scheduling challenges as it coincides with West Indies’ Test series against Bangladesh (November 22-December 4), potentially affecting player availability for both the Amazon Warriors and Rangpur Riders. Key players like Shamar Joseph, Gudakesh Motie, and Kevin Sinclair could face conflicts between national duty and tournament participation. Similarly, with Pakistan’s upcoming tour to South Africa, starting December 10, the availability of Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi remains uncertain.