The founder of the company behind theupcoming Caribbean Premier T20 (CPL) League says the event must be able tocapture the imagination of a global audience to become a financial success.
Ajmal Khan, founder of Verus Capital, says the eight millionpeople living in small Caribbean economies are not enough to make the CPL alucrative venture.
Khan, who is attempting to fashion the CPL to rival the T20leagues of India and Australia, says Virus Capital is targeting global partnersand audiences to ensure the tournament makes money.
"The only way that this is going to be successful andbe sustainable is if we can put together, basically, a global partnership,where the world will see this as a product not made for one market," saidKhan in an interview with ESPNcricinfo.
"The first key thing that we need to do is to bring thelocal, the regional, and the international bodies and partners to be able tocreate the CPL into something where it becomes a global audience."
CPL is a franchise-based operation which will have teamsbased in six territories and will include not just Caribbean cricketers butprofessionals from around the world.
CPL, which has already named six icon players for thetournament, said player contracts would be funded to the tune of $360,000.
According to reports, during an event by organisers inBarbados last month, many questions about the CPL's operations were leftunanswered, including who the franchise owners would be.
"I have a track record of what I've done in my life...I'm not a person who reneges on anything I do," declared Khan whosecompany, Verus Capital, has from 1985 to 1993, acquired, and resold over $2billion in real estate properties, becoming the largest syndicator ofproperties in Canada.
"They've done enough due diligence on me to knowthere's enough to run the league for the next number of years... to make sureevery single player is paid. The CPL are going to be the ones to make sure thatevery single player it hires or it retains is going to be paid, for which I amresponsible."
The CPL, which replaces the Caribbean T20 tournament, is dueto begin July 29.