The Trinidad-born West Indian batting icon Nicholas Pooran has stunned the cricketing world by announcing his retirement from international cricket on Monday. This move from the 29-year-old left many cricketing pundits around the world puzzled. Pooran is currently in the midst of an exceptional run in white-ball cricket. In the 2025 IPL season alone, Pooran played some impactful cameos for LSG and showcased signs of extraordinary grit and determination. 

Being one of the most prolific and destructive cricketers at the franchise level, Pooran was also seen as a central figure in the West Indies' white ball setup. Experts certainly held the opinion that Pooran had a lot of international cricket left in him. With only 61 T20Is between 2016 and 2024, Pooran had a lot of untapped potential, and his absence from the squad is likely going to deflate the Men in Maroon at a time when they desperately need someone to turn the tide in their favor. 

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So, what could be the possible reasons behind Pooran's sudden retirement call? Let's delve deeper into some of the factors that probably must have influenced his decision.

The growing influence of IPL over international cricket

It goes without saying that Pooran has established himself as a powerful IPL icon. On the back of his quickfire knocks, Pooran has gained an unprecedented popularity and earned a reputation for being an entertainer. The IPL has become a key component of his cricketing career. Needless to say, the fat pay cheques he receives after every IPL game suffice all his needs, which the national cricketing board may struggle to comply with. It can be said for sure that being a part of the national squad would not have given him enough games, nor enriched his exposure to a level where he could be seen as a global icon. 

An abundance of lucrative franchise leagues worldwide 

The West Indies Cricket Board is going through a time of instability and is facing a whole world of other operational challenges that are limiting the growth opportunities of the players. At a time like this, players like Pooran look beyond international cricket and explore the possibility of featuring in numerous cash-rich leagues that often tend to provide players with a lot of stability and exposure. Pooran is an experienced campaigner at the franchise level and has participated in as many as 11 franchise leagues from around the world. Add to that, he has been more successful at the franchise level as opposed to the international level. He averages 29.47 and has a strike rate of over 150 with three centuries at the T20 franchise level format, whereas in T20I cricket, his average and strike rate plummet to 26.14 and 136.39, respectively.

Reduced involvement with WICB following his captaincy exit in 2022

Pooran's success as a white-ball captain for the Windies had been very limited. After being appointed as the skipper in 2022 across two white-ball formats, the team under him performed poorly and eventually crashed out of the T20 World Cup 2022. He subsequently decided to step down after the horror show, which also resulted in his decreased involvement with the board. His regular spot in the squad was not always guaranteed, and the swashbuckling batter felt that his opportunities were being restricted at the international level, thus leading to his shock retirement. 

The Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2025, from August 14 to September 21, 2025, will have 34 T20 games in six Caribbean countries: Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Guyana, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Trinidad and Tobago. Six teams will play a double round-robin, with the top four qualifying for the playoffs, which will end with the final at Providence Stadium, Guyana.

This 13th edition will have electrifying cricket, with Saint Lucia Kings set to defend the 2024 title against competitive teams such as Trinbago Knight Riders and Guyana Amazon Warriors. The tournament will be a combination of Caribbean flavor and international T20 stars and will pull the fans to prestigious sites like Kensington Oval and Queen's Park Oval. 

Live Streaming/Broadcast Overview

• India: Star Sports Network (starsports.com) for TV; FanCode (fancode.com) for streaming at 4:30 AM, 5:30 AM, or 7:30 PM IST.
• Caribbean: SportsMax (sportsmax.tv) in the West Indies; TV6 (ccntv6.com) in Trinidad and Tobago through the CCN TV6 app; GBN in Grenada.
• UK: TNT Sports (tntsports.co.uk) for live coverage.
• USA and Canada: Willow TV (willow.tv) for TV and streaming.
• South Africa: SuperSport (supersport.com) for live coverage.
• MENA: Cricbuzz (cricbuzz.com) to stream.
• Rest of the World: Free streaming on CPL's official YouTube (youtube.com/@OfficialCPLT20) and Facebook (facebook.com/CPLT20) channels.

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Teams and Key Players

• Saint Lucia Kings: Defending champions, captained by Faf du Plessis, and Alzarri Joseph and Roston Chase.
• Antigua & Barbuda Falcons: Skippered by Imad Wasim, with Brandon King and Mohammad Amir.
• Barbados Royals: Captained by Rovman Powell, with Quinton de Kock and Jason Holder.
• Guyana Amazon Warriors: With Shimron Hetmyer and Shai Hope.
• St. Kitts & Nevis Patriots: Features Kyle Mayers and Evin Lewis.
• Trinbago Knight Riders: Captained by Kieron Pollard, with Nicholas Pooran and Sunil Narine.

Squads will be confirmed post the July 2025 player draft, with each team allowed four overseas players and one emerging player.

The 13th season of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) will light up the West Indies between August 14 and September 21, 2025, with high-voltage T20 cricket in six Caribbean islands: Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Guyana, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Trinidad and Tobago. The Saint Lucia Kings, title defenders following their 2024 victory, will encounter tough rivalry from five other teams in a 34-game tournament that culminates with the final at Providence Stadium, Guyana.

Tournament Structure and Calendar

The CPL 2025 operates a double round-robin schedule involving six teams—Antigua & Barbuda Falcons, Barbados Royals, Guyana Amazon Warriors, St. Kitts & Nevis Patriots, Saint Lucia Kings, and Trinbago Knight Riders—each competing in 10 league games. The top four qualify for the playoffs, which include an eliminator, qualifiers, and the final. The complete schedule, released on March 24, 2025, consists of matches at seven grounds, with Trinidad and Tobago hosting at two grounds. The tournament begins with Antigua & Barbuda Falcons vs. St. Kitts & Nevis Patriots at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium.

Squads and Key Players

Squads will be settled after the July 2025 player draft and pre-draft signings. Anticipate retained stars such as Saint Lucia Kings' Faf du Plessis and Alzarri Joseph, Guyana Amazon Warriors' Shimron Hetmyer, and Trinbago Knight Riders' Nicholas Pooran. New faces and international T20 specialists will arrive, with each team having a maximum of four overseas players and one emerging player in at least five games.

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Venues and Fixtures

Matches will be staged at legendary grounds such as Kensington Oval (Barbados), Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium (Saint Lucia), and Queen's Park Oval (Trinidad).