ALL THE KING’S MEN

JAMAICA Kingsmen Head of Operations Atishai Mansingh says a strong collective effort will be needed to continue cricket’s revival on the island. The Kingsmen finished runners-up of the recently concluded Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL), after losing to the Antigua and Barbuda Falcons in the final in Barbados. It was a remarkable run for the Jamaican franchise in their first season as the Kingsmen, having been inactive for the 2024 and 2025 seasons after former owner Kris Persaud sold the franchise and moved on to the now-champions Falcons. This season also saw the return of CPL to Sabina Park for the first time since 2019, with four games hosted in Kingston.

Rosemary Mair (left) of Jamaica Empress celebrates the dismissal of Tazmin Brits (out of picture) of Guyana Amazon Warriors during the Women’s 2026 Limacol Caribbean Premier League match 2 between Jamaica Empress and Guyana Amazon Warriors at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados on September 6. (Photo: Randy Brooks - CPL T20)

While pleased with the franchise’s start, Mansingh says he’s focused on helping to grow the sport locally. “CPL coming back is not going to solve all of the issues that we have in Jamaica cricket,” he said. “It’s a spark, and what we do with that spark is what will determine whether this moment becomes a temporary celebration or the beginning of a genuine revival — and the revival is going to start from the top down. “We want to encourage all of public and corporate Jamaica to see the highest-paying sport for what it is. The fact is, we’re not going to fill Sabina Park this year, we’re not going to fill Sabina Park next year, but we have to work towards filling Sabina Park in the years coming, because if this park is seen as a football park, as an entertainment park, for the history that it holds, every single one of us are failing. Filling Sabina Park is not about the Kingsmen putting on social media advertisements and giving away tickets. It’s about the teamwork [and] the support which is needed to to build these cricket structures in Jamaica.” Mansingh says cricket’s development locally cannot be driven solely by finances but must also be fuelled by passion for the sport. “Players cannot rebuild it alone. The Government and sponsors, though we always request them, also cannot build it alone. Clubs, schools, families, businesses and supporters must all play a part,” he said.

Jamaica Kingsmen Head of Operations Atishai Mansingh (Photo: Garfield Robinson)

“If we don’t put the love into the sport, who’s going to? [People] say, ‘Who’s going to fix cricket?’ ‘CPL come, they have money, they’re going to fix it’, ‘This person have money so they’re going to fix it’. Money is not going to fix this; it’s the love that we all possess for the sport that’s going to bring the happiness back to the sport.” Mansingh says more emphasis needs to be placed on women’s cricket as well, with the debut of the Jamaica Empress team in the Women’s CPL providing a good starting point. “Cricket is not just about a man with a ball and a man with a bat,” he said. “The women are equally important for this sport’s growth. The Kingsmen launched the first-ever Jamaica women’s CPL franchise, the Jamaica Empress. It has given an opportunity to women to see the sport as a way of employment. A sport that was always seen as a gentleman’s sport has now been seen as just simply a sport. “That is very crucial, because when the likes of Hayley Matthews, Stafanie Taylor, Chinelle Henry are able to go to tournaments across the world and earn US$250,000 [$38 million] for a six-week tournament, that is eye-opening to state that this sport is not just going to fill the pockets of men any more but it’s going to create structures and systems for young girls to say, ‘I want to be like them when I’m older.’ ”