Jason Holder Ends Long Stint with Barbados Royals, Joins St Kitts & Nevis Patriots

BARBADOS: Veteran West Indies all-rounder Jason Holder has concluded his lengthy association with the Barbados Royals franchise after 13 years. He will be joining St Kitts & Nevis Patriots (STKNP) as part of a significant player transfer leading up to the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) draft scheduled next month.

Holder’s transfer signifies a notable change within the CPL setup, as he has been a part of the Royals since the tournament began in 2013.

During his time with the Royals, Holder participated in 104 matches, securing 97 wickets—including two instances of taking four wickets in a single match—and amassing 1169 runs with a strike rate of 129.60. He contributed to two championship victories for the Royals, in 2014 and 2019, captaining the team in the latter.

The transaction is part of a broader agreement between the franchises. Accompanying Holder’s move to the Patriots is middle-order batsman Alick Athanaze, while Sherfane Rutherford will be joining the Royals.

Rutherford, who has previously played for both Guyana Amazon Warriors and STKNP, is now set to represent his third CPL franchise.

Athanaze, having made his international debut in 2023, has thus far played exclusively for the Royals in the CPL. Over 19 matches, he has scored 344 runs, averaging 22.93 with a strike rate of 106.83, including one half-century.

The Patriots are optimistic that these roster adjustments will reverse their fortunes after they finished at the bottom of the 2024 season, securing only one victory in 10 matches.

The CPL 2025 season is slated to occur from August 15 to September 22. St Lucia Kings will be entering the tournament as the defending champions.