An Advo Magazine Exclusive by David Harris

Chief Executive Officer of Barbados Royals Jake Lush McCrum has described the team’s participation in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) as “a fantastic journey”. 

In July 2021, the Royals Sports Group owners of the Rajasthan Royals Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket franchise acquired a majority stake in the then Barbados Tridents, as a result of the acquisition, the Tridents were rebranded Barbados Royals. 

PL ‘ A FANTA“We have seen a fantastic journey for the Barbados Royals in the CPL so far; when we came on board in July 2021, our primary aim was to bring in a culture that reflects the Royals philosophy across all our teams and our focus on excellence both on and off the field. We have seen tremendous success with our women’s team who started with winning the first crown in 2022 and have not looked back since, securing back-to –back championships in the last two years. On the men’s side, we had a strong showing in 2022 when we went all the way up to the final, but last was not as per expectations. What has been satisfying though is the number of Royals players who have gone on to represent the West Indies across all formats. We have the examples of Obed McCoy, Alick Athanaze, and Nyeem Young who came into the system and have developed exceptionally over the past few years. Obed has represented all three of the Royals franchises, Ramon Simmonds has   played in the CPL and the SA20 for us, I am confident that there will be many more in the years to come. As much as we are focused on building a sustainable high-performance environment, we are also trying to grow the game through grassroots initiatives like the Barbados Royals Girls Club”, McCrum told Advo Magazine. 

He described last season as bittersweet for the Royals with the women’s team under captaincy of Hayley Matthews winning the Women Caribbean Premier League (WCPL) title and the men captained by Rovman Powell performing poorly.  

“There were some late departures from our men’s squad that hurt the balance of our team. We did witness some standout performances from the likes of Rakeem Cornwall and Alick, but we lacked consistency as a unit. We are confident that we will turn it around this season as we have been able to secure some really strong additions to the squad. We have continued to develop talent, push boundaries and work towards establishing ourselves as a dominant force in men’s and women CPL cricket”, he explained. 

McCrum said the Royals intended to win the men’s CPL title this year: “We are here to win and entertain, and with a second WCPL trophy under our belt, we are aiming to replicate this success in the men’s competition. We have a high-quality and explosive Caribbean core group that has been bolstered by strong overseas additions. It has been great to see how Alick and Nyeem have developed over the last few years, and Ramon is working hard to get back to his best. The Barbados leg of the CPL was great for us, we won three of the four matches played at Kensington Oval. We have stumbled a bit in Guyana, but I am hoping the team will return to its winning ways in the playoffs”. 

Late last year the Royals joined Bat for A Chance launched the Barbados Royals Girls Cricket Club initiative encouraging girls between the ages of six to 14 to play cricket, and according to McCrum, grassroots programs are extremely important to his organization. 

“At the Royals Sports Group, our purpose is to transform society. Grassroots initiatives are a key pillar for us. The Barbados Royals Girls Cricket Club is something we are extremely proud of because of our commitment to making an on the society with cricket at the centre of change. We are also committed to growing the game, especially for young girls. We want to create pathways for the next generation of cricketers and to make the sport accessible and fun from a young age. Through initiatives like these we hope to inspire more young girls to take up the sports, fostering the next wave of talent not just for the Royals, but for Barbados and the West Indies. It is crucial that we play our part in empowering these girls and giving them opportunities to develop”, the CEO said.  

He disclosed that the Royals Sports Group are always looking for ways to deepen their engagement with the local community and to continue their involvement at the grassroots level. 

“We are exploring more initiatives that focus on youth development for both girls and boys. We are providing technical expertise for the development of the High-Performance Centre at Kensington Oval which is a great initiative from KOMI toward building a high-performance culture. We are also keen to build on our existing partnerships, such as the one with Bat for a Chance, to deliver meaningful social impact through the sport”, McCrum said. 

“On a broader level, we are working closely with our principal sponsor Invest Barbados, and our partner Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc (BTMI) to ensure that cricket serves as a platform to drive economic and cultural connections globally, bringing more visibility to the island’s opportunity and attracting tourism. With Invest Barbados as our principal sponsor, we are excited to leverage the global reach of the Royals brand to promote Barbados as a prime destination for business and investment”, he added. 

McCrum said that cricket has a unique ability to bring people together and through their networks in markets such as India, the United Kingdom, and the United Arab Emirates they can create opportunities to showcase the potential of Barbados beyond sports.  

“We are committed to being ambassadors for Barbados on the global stage, and if that means facilitating new business ventures or creating connections that benefit the island economically, we are all for it. Our partnership extends beyond cricket, it’s about leveraging the sports to promote Barbados Internationally and create opportunities for the island”, McCrum explained. 

He lauded the government and the Barbados Cricket Association (BCA) for the support they have given the Royals in the past three years. 

“We are incredibly grateful to the government of Barbados and the BCA for the huge amount of support they continue to provide to us. They share our vision of not only making the Royals successful on the field but also contributing to the growth of cricket and the economy in Barbados at every level. Our relationship is based on mutual respect, and are constantly looking at ways we can collaborate for the betterment of the sport and the nation”, McCrum said.