CPL 2019 DRAFT: All you need to know

The Cricketer guides you through the selection process for the six franchises hoping to strike gold in the Carribean Premier League

What is it?

The Carribean Premier League auction is the process by which the six teams competing in the tournament build their squads for the new campaign.

When and where is it?

The auction will take place on Wednesday, May 22 at the Gfinity Esports Arena in Fulham, London.

How does it work?

Teams have 18 berths to fill in their squads, with each of the six franchises allowed one pick per round. The price of each player is dependent on which round they are selected in.

Those sides can retain a maximum of six players from their 2018 roster. Additionally, within those squads at least three but no more than four have to hail from the West Indies, one can be an overseas player and another an ICC Americas Player.

One 'marquee' signing can also be made outside the draft window with sides able to openly negotiate with players. For 2019, Chris Gayle has already joined Jamaica Tallawahs, Guyana Amazon Warriors have signed Nicholas Pooran and Kieron Pollard will play for Trinbago Knight Riders.

^{Russell is the No.1 ranked T20 player in the world}

Currently, teams must limit their spending in the draft to $780,000 per season, meaning they must be coy when pursuing high-ticket players and shrewd with their budget later on.

Last season, New Zealand's Martin Guptill and the Windies' Lendl Simmons fetched the maximum fee of $160,000.

Which players are available?

A record 536 players from 21 nations have declared themselves available for the draft, meaning the competition should be the most cosmopolitan in its history.

The star names include ostracised England batsman Alex Hales, the emerging Jofra Archer, Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan and Bangladesh allrounder Shakib al Hasan.

The West Indies contingent is made up of T20 Index No.1 Andre Russell and fellow World Cup-bound players Shimron Hetmyer and Shai Hope.

How do I follow it?

CPL's social media channels will broadcast the draft from 2pm on May 22.

The Cricketer meanwhile will have news of all the biggest deals.

^{Rashid has another chance to cement his place as one of T20's leading spinners}

When does the CPL start?

Following a shift in the fixtures, the CPL will now be played between September 4 and October 12.

The tournament was originally scheduled to start on August 21 but the BCCI's request to move India's tour of the West Indies has forced a reshuffle.