By Carl Hooper, Guyana Amazon Warriors coach
"I'm very excited. The draft was three months ago now and time is dragging on. We've still got another few weeks before we get rolling, but I'm really looking forward to it.
"It's gonna be a great competition, even better than last year with the quality of players in the CPL this year.
"Spend the morning at the beach and then watch a fantastic game of cricket... What's not to love?!" - Carl Hooper
"We want to make this competition as big as the IPL [Indian Premier League], if not bigger.
"The only T20 event that falls within the ICC is the IPL, so everyone is available for that. One of the hardest things we have to contend with, even though we have a high quality of players registered this year, is that we'd like to see some Indian players, for example, coming here and getting involved.
"I think it's important to get every nation involved in the CPL - I want players from every country who are great at Twenty20 to come and play.
"The destination is fantastic. You're coming somewhere where you can spend the morning at the beach and then watch a fantastic game of cricket later. There's a party atmosphere, great food, great entertainment... What's not to love?! It's a work in progress, but they're well on their way to making it a massive tournament.
"It's not a surprise to me how big the tournament has got quite quickly. I was with Antigua last year and they had four Australians, and they all loved it. On the flight home to Australia they were saying they hoped they'd come back this year because they had such a good time.
"The islands are a fantastic destination, for players and for fans.
"The atmosphere is electric. Chris Gayle smashing the ball out of the park under lights - that's fun, right?!" - Carl Hooper
"The CPL stands up very well to the IPL and the Big Bash, very well indeed. I've been watching the Big Bash for a few years now and the quality of the cricket is very good, but most of the people who go to the games are local - they're Aussies.
"But given where the islands are in the Caribbean, you've got North America so close by, and Indians and Pakistanis coming along... Last year I saw two blokes I'd met in India years ago, and they'd just come down to watch some cricket. So the location is perfect - it's even only an 8-hour flight from the UK, and it's in UK summer, so it's perfect for a holiday.
"The atmosphere last year was electric. Day-night games in my home country Guyana... It was like a party atmosphere. There's quality cricket and great atmosphere. Those two things make it. The two go hand-in-hand. Chris Gayle smashing the ball out of the park under lights - that's fun, right?! I sit on the sidelines and I get excited. I wish I was playing!"
CARL HOOPER'S THREE TO WATCH:
CHRIS GAYLE. He's explosive, and he's been very instrumental in Jamaica's success
SUNIL NARINE. He's with us, Guyana, so I'm probably being a bit biased! I know he's had some bowling problems, but I'll keep my fingers crossed he'll be ok
JACQUES KALLIS. He might be a bit long in the tooth at 40, but he's still a quality cricketer and he'll do well for Trinidad
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