‘Cash-strapped’ CWI confirms reduction in Regional Four-Day matches

Cricket West Indies (CWI) has officially overhauled the 2026 West Indies Championship, confirming a significantly condensed format for the region’s premier first-class competition.

The move comes as the board grapples with financial constraints, prompting a “comprehensive review” to balance high-performance goals with the sustainable management of dwindling resources.

The new structure replaces the traditional round-robin format with a series of bilateral contests and a playoff system.

Under the revised 2026–2027 cycle, the six territorial franchises will no longer play every other team. Instead, the tournament has been streamlined into three distinct phases:

• Bilateral Round: Three concurrent three-match series based on 2025 seedings.
• Playoff Round: The top-ranked team (based on points) faces the West Indies Academy to stay “match ready,” while the 2nd and 3rd seeds battle for the remaining spot in the final.
• Grand Final: A winner-takes-all clash in Antigua to crown the regional champions.

“The bilateral series format will add an interesting dimension, closer to mirroring the Test cricket format,” said Director of Cricket, Miles Bascombe.

Despite the reduction in matches, Bascombe insists the tournament will still meet its performance objectives for talent identification.

All roads lead to Antigua for the knockout stages, as CWI looks to centralise costs during the latter half of the window.

CWI has pushed the start date to April, strategically positioning the final just weeks before the home international series against Sri Lanka in June.

FULL TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE: Bi-Lateral Round: (Match 1 – April 12-25; Match 2 – April 19-22; Match 3 – April 26-29)

• Windward Volcanoes vs Guyana Harpy Eagles @ Antigua
• Jamaica Scorpions vs Barbados Pride @ Jamaica
• Leeward Islands Hurricanes vs Trinidad and Tobago Red Force @ Antigua

Playoff Round: (May 10-13)

• 2nd Place vs 3rd Place @ Antigua
• 1st Place vs West Indies Academy @ Antigua

Grand Final: (May 17-20)

• 1st Place vs Playoff Winner @ Antigua