Royal return

With Jamaica set to end their two-year Caribbean Premier League (CPL) exile this summer, the franchise will do so with two of the country’s finest as West Indian superstars Andre Russell and Rovman Powell were selected as the marquee players for the Kingsmen franchise.

After first revealing their interest in February, the Jamaica Observer can confirm that the new owners, Kingsmen Sports Enterprise, have secured hard-hitting Russell and Powell in the CPL draft, signalling their return to the Jamaican franchise.

The selections were made possible by special draft privileges granted to the Kingsmen, allowing the new franchise to make the first three picks — restricted to Jamaican players, limited to one selection per team, and exempt from the right-to-match option.

Two-time Twenty20 World Cup champion Russell leaves defending champions Trinbago Knight Riders, who he represented for the past four years, having departed the Tallawahs in 2021. The 38-year-old returns to Sabina Park, where he won two titles with the Jamaican franchise, including the inaugural crown in 2013. Russell scored just under 1,500 runs and took 58 wickets during an eight-year stint.

Windies white ball batsman Powell joins from the Barbados Royals after a three-year spell and will captain the Kingsmen. The 32-year-old scored 1,337 runs and won two CPL titles with the Jamaican franchise during an eight-year stint, including one as skipper in his final season in 2022.

However, the Kingsmen will miss out on one of their key targets in West Indies and Jamaica opener Brandon King. As reported by the Observer, the 31-year-old, who won the title with the Tallawahs in 2022, was among the franchise’s top targets with Powell and Russell.

King joined Powell at the Barbados franchise last year and under the Kingsmen’s draft restrictions, they were only able to select one player per franchise without triggering the right-to-match option. As a result, they opted for Powell.

The Kingsmen could still pursue King, but it’s strongly believed that the Royals would exercise their right-to-match option to retain him. King may have been a more realistic option had he remained with the Antigua and Barbuda Falcons after his departure from the Tallawahs in 2023.

The Observer understands that West Indies white-ball all-rounder Fabian Allen, who has spent the last two seasons with the Falcons, is the Kingsmen’s third pick. The 30-year-old won the title in his first of two seasons with the Tallawahs in 2022.

Along with nine senior West Indies players and three players from the West Indies Breakout League in 2025, each team is allowed five overseas players for the 17-member squad, and it’s understood the Kingsmen are looking to recruit a marquee name but are also likely to pick some from their Pakistan Super League franchise, the Hyderabad Kingsmen.

England batsman Alex Hale, Pakistan all-rounder Imad Wasim, and Australia all-rounder Chris Green were among the overseas players for the Jamaican franchise in 2023.

The Kingsmen’s full draft selections will be known next Friday during the CPL’s official announcement on their social media channels.

The Jamaica Kingsmen will open the 2026 CPL season against the Falcons on August 7 in St Vincent, before hosting four games at Sabina Park from August 11 to 18 against the Royals, Guyana Amazon Warriors, Knight Riders, and St Kitts and Nevis Patriots.

In this file photo from August 2018, Jamaica Tallawahs Captain Andre Russell reaches 100 runs during their Caribbean Premier League match against Trinbago Knight Riders Tallawahs at Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago. (Photos: CPL via Getty Images)

In this file photo from September 2022, Jamaica Tallawahs Captain Rovman Powell hoists the CPL trophy after winning the final against Barbados Royals at Providence Stadium in Georgetown, Guyana. (Photo: CPL via Getty Images)