Cricket West Indies (CWI) has announced a 25% cut in retainer fees for men’s players as part of a major financial restructuring plan.
The reduction will apply from October 2026 to September 2027. Men’s players on central contracts will see their retainer fees reduced by a quarter. The board has also changed its domestic contract structure. Domestic players will now receive seven-month retainer contracts from October 2026 to April 2027. Previously, these contracts covered 12 months.
The decision comes as CWI deals with serious financial pressure. The board recorded a net loss of US$28 million for the financial year ending September 2025. It is also projecting another US$26 million loss for the 2026 financial year.
In July, CWI received an emergency loan of US$12.82 million from the International Cricket Council.
“We appreciate the spirit of cooperation of the West Indies Players’ Association and the players who have demonstrated their understanding of the circumstances we all face. While not ideal, it is a necessary step towards financial stability,” CWI chief executive Chris Dehring said as quoted by Cricinfo.
Why has CWI suspended domestic tournaments?
CWI has also suspended the men’s Super50 tournament and women’s T20 Blaze competition this year. The board said the cost of running domestic competitions had become too high.
“Our domestic tournaments as structured historically, where Cricket West Indies bears the entire cost of every national team and tournament, whether it is age-group, development or senior for both men and women, including salaries, match fees, airfares, hotels and event staging costs, are simply unsustainable. The high cost of domestic travel and accommodation absorbs too much of our scarce resources every year instead of being deployed for the direct benefit of our cricket,” said Dehring.
The Super50 suspension also affects preparations for the 2027 ODI World Cup qualifier. West Indies will play England A in November before holding an ODI team camp.
CWI has also announced replacement qualification tournaments for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
“These replacement tournaments will be by invitation to the 10 countries under the aegis of Cricket West Indies that qualify for Olympic participation. We are excited by these new invitational tournaments, the dates for which are being finalized, as given the higher stakes and prestige, it’s an opportunity for individual countries to galvanize national resources to chase Olympic glory, with the responsibility and cost of participation falling on their respective national cricket & Olympic associations, private sectors, governments and people, hopefully fulfilling a desire to make a meaningfully contribution to their national team’s hunt for Olympic Glory,” said Dehring.
