CPL 2020 to commence on August 19 to avoid overlap with The Hundred

The eighth edition of the Caribbean Premier League has been scheduled to be played between August 19 and September 26 in 2020. The window also meant that there would be no overlap with ECB's new event The Hundred, slated for July next year.

According to a CPL release, the organisers wanted a clear window for the tournament so they could have all West Indies contracted players present for the entire duration for a third successive year, and also so both the tournaments could have "the best possible players available".

"Having the best Caribbean cricketers and the world's best overseas players is the foundation of our tournament and this period gives us that," Pete Russell, COO of the CPL, said. "We may be just days away from the 2019 tournament, but we are already making plans for next year to ensure that we continue to see the phenomenal growth and economic impact that CPL has seen over the years."

Cricket West Indies chief executive Johnny Grave said that the tournament next year would serve as a tune-up for the men's T20 World Cup, scheduled to be played in Australia next October.

"We are pleased that we have once again found a window in our international calendar for the 2020 season to ensure that all the best West Indian cricketers can take part, as the tournament plays a crucial role in our preparations and planning for the ICC T20 World Cup in 2020," Grave said.

This year, the tournament was originally supposed to begin in late August but was rescheduled to September owing to the shifting of India's tour.