Guptill, McCullum and Watson Audio reaction HERE

Following the Player Draft for the 2016 HERO Caribbean Premier League (CPL) which took place in Barbados on Thursday, the six ‘marquee’ players – Proteas duo AB de Villiers and Faf du Plessis, New Zealanders Martin Guptill and Brendon McCullum, Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara and Australia’ Shane Watson – gave their thoughts and hopes about playing in the CPL, their favourite memories and reflect on their favourite West Indies legends of yesteryear.

FAF DU PLESSIS (ST KITTS & NEVIS PATRIOTS): “I'm looking forward to be part of a tournament that’s like no other around the world. The West Indian culture is all about having fun and I can’t wait to be a part of it. It’s great to see that the tournament is growing and getting big international players playing in it. From what I've seen on TV it's just dancing and music all the time. It really looks like a lot of fun. Strangely, in my five-year international career to date, we haven't been to the West Indies once. We will be going there in July just before the CPL starts for a triangular series involving the West Indies and Australia, so I’m looking forward to that and getting some experience of the conditions. In terms of my favourite player, that would be Brian Lara. The skill he had was just ridiculous. My hopes for the tournament would be for the Patriots to do really well and for the guys just to enjoy creating something special as a team. And to hopefully hit some sixes in the process!”

MARTIN GUPTILL (GUYANA AMAZON WARRIORS) - AUDIO: “I’m really excited. I’ve been here three years in a row and it’s going to be my fourth year this year. So I’m really looking forward to getting over there. Even from the very first CPL it was an extremely exciting atmosphere and to be out there in the middle and witness the crowd having a great big party is pretty special to watch and it’s something I’ve really enjoyed being involved with. The atmosphere that the crowd brings is pretty special and makes the whole tournament. Every game that we play is a sell-out crowd and the crowd are having a lot of fun and make the atmosphere that much more fun for the players to be involved with, so I can’t wait to get back there. Growing up, I was probably in the era of watching Brian Lara play. He played with a lot of flair and he was a seriously good player. So, watching him was fantastic and seeing some of the stuff that he achieved in Test cricket and One-Day cricket was incredible. Being a part of the Caribbean Premier League, knowing that he plays a part with the Trinidad & Tobago team is pretty special. (Playing CPL) is something that I have done for the last three seasons and I’m just looking forward to getting over there and enjoying myself and have a lot of fun.”

BRENDON McCULLUM (TRINBAGO KNIGHT RIDERS) - AUDIO: “I’m super excited to be featuring in this edition of the 2016 CPL. It’s really special to be playing in the Caribbean; the fan engagement and carnival atmosphere is something I’ve heard a lot from a lot of players around the world. My favourite memories of playing in the West Indies are in touring around some of the boutique grounds I’ve been involved in. I guess there’s the cultural aspects of the Caribbean (as well), and just getting to meet some of the great people over there, and obviously playing on some of those wonderful golf courses in the likes of Barbados as well. My favourite West Indies player of all time has to be Sir Viv Richards. He was the leader of cricket right around the world throughout his time; his charisma, the way he carried himself, the way he led his team and obviously the way that he played as well. He wasn’t just one of my favourite West Indies players, he was one of my favourite players of all time as well. I had the opportunity to meet him not long ago. Sometimes it’s dangerous to meet your heroes, but not on this occasion. It was a really cool moment, and what a guy he is as well.”

KUMAR SANGAKKARA (JAMAICA TALLAWAHS): “I am extremely excited to be part of the Jamaica Tallawahs again this year, having enjoyed being part of the squad who went on to win the inaugural trophy back in 2013. The CPL is a competition that is growing year on year and the quality is extremely high. Over my 15 years playing international cricket I only toured the West Indies twice, aside from playing in ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 and the ICC World T20 in 2010, but every time I played here it was a special experience.  Growing up I idolised the icons of the 1970’s and 80’s and Sir Vivian Richards was a hero of mine. I loved the way he used to dominate opponents and take games by the scruff of the neck. At times he was untouchable and no bowlers could contain him. It would have been interesting to see how even great bowlers of the modern age such as Shane Warne or Muttiah Muralidaran would have gone on against him. In later years, when Brian Lara emerged on to the scene, he was a thrilling batsman and one of the greatest players the world has ever seen. The West Indies has produced many outstanding cricketers, and I was fortunate to play against and alongside Cuddy (Courtney) Walsh and Curtly Ambrose at the Masters League last year as well. When you play in the Caribbean you can’t help but be enchanted by the public who make playing here so special. They’re passionate, fun and extremely knowledgeable. The island feel and the music and traditions of the Caribbean are amazing and I can’t wait to get back. Our goal with the Tallawahs is to build game by game and go on and try to win the competition. We have some outstanding players such as Chris Gayle, Andre Russell and Chadwick Walton and we will aim to build a cohesive side and add strength, which I believe we have done now. It’s clear that there has been a real growth in popularity and appeal in the CPL and with the quality of cricketers who have been attracted across all of the teams, this could be the best year yet.”

SHANE WATSON (ZOUKS) - AUDIO: “I really am excited to be a part of CPL 2016. It’s a tournament that I’ve always wanted to be a part of. It looks very cool, awesome atmospheres and there are world-class players playing in the tournament as well, so I really can’t wait to be a part of it. It’s very special to be able to play in the Caribbean. The people in the Caribbean absolutely love their cricket. They certainly know how to enjoy themselves at the games as well, with the dancing and singing and the carnival atmosphere that’s at every game. Especially in Twenty20’s and One-Day games, it’s always a hell of lot of fun to be a part of, so I can’t wait to get to be a part of it again. My favourite memories of playing in the West Indies would be the ICC World T20 in 2010 which was an awesome atmosphere and a lot of fun, but also the one that stands out was the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup that I was lucky enough to be a part of winning. There were a lot of awesome memories, especially in Barbados during the final and after the final celebrating. My favourite West Indian player of all time is, no doubt, Viv Richards. He was my idol, he was so far before his time in (terms of) how he batted and took on the game. He was the ‘Master Blaster’ because that’s what he did. It would be awesome to see him time-warped into the 2016 CPL to see his skills on display. That would be amazing to watch. My hopes for the tournament would be to really enjoy myself over there. It’s an awesome place to play cricket, especially T20 cricket. Everyone loves it and gets into it. So, I can’t wait to just be a part of it and hopefully provide a lot of entertainment for the cricket-loving public there.”