Following the recently concluded player drafts for the Caribbean Premier League and Women's Caribbean Premier League 2023, Barbados Royals have announced their men's and women's squads for the upcoming season.
The Royals had earlier retained eight players in their men's team, namely Jason Holder, Kyle Mayers, Obed McCoy, Rahkeem Cornwall, Justin Greaves, Joshua Bishop, Nyeem Young and Ramon Simmonds, along with a trade-in that saw West Indies T20I skipper Rovman Powell come into the side. The refreshed squad sees the arrival of some familiar faces like South African all-rounder Donovan Ferreira, who was part of the Royals in IPL 2023, and Rassie van der Dussen who played for Rajasthan Royals last year. Sri Lanka's Maheesh Theekshana, who earlier plied his trade for Trinbago Knight Riders, has been picked by the Royals this time around. An interesting addition to the squad has come in the form of 38-year-old Dutch-South African all-rounder Roelof van der Merwe. Given his experience at the international and domestic levels, the veteran could turn out to be the dark horse for the Royals in the upcoming CPL season.
Known to nurture raw talent and give them a platform to perform, the Royals have signed up some impressive local players from West Indies' national and U-19 setup. There will be a total of 17 players in the men's squad this season.
On the women's front, the Royals retained a core of three players in captain Hayley Matthews, and all-rounders Chinelle Henry and Qiana Joseph. Winners of the inaugural 6IXTY tournament last year and CPL 2023 finalists, the Matthews-led squad will hope to go one step further this season with a stronger unit that features a bunch of solid overseas signings in South African all-rounder Marizanne Kapp, the Australian duo of batter Laura Harris and spinner Amanda-Jade Wellington, and Ireland's Gaby Lewis. Bowlers Afy Fletcher and Aaliyah Alleyne return for their second stint with the Royals, which will see a 15-member team entering the season.
The Royals men's team will take on St. Lucia Kings in their CPL 2023 season opener on 17th August, and the women's team will lock horns with Guyana Amazon Warriors on 31st August. This season will also see the Royals return to their hometown in Bridgetown, Barbados after a gap of 3 seasons.