Barbados Royals will begin their Women’s CPL title defence without their talismanic captain Hayley Matthews, who is to undergo shoulder surgery and has been ruled out of the 2025 tournament.
The news, dropped late on Saturday evening via the franchise’s X feed, was blunt: “Hayley Matthews will miss WCPL 2025. We wish her a speedy recovery.” No replacement has been named, and the timing – 48 hours before the Royals face Guyana Amazon Warriors – leaves coach Corey Collymore with a sizeable hole to plug.
Matthews’ numbers tell their own story. She tops the WCPL charts for both runs (424 at 113.06) and wickets (23 at 5.79) and was central to consecutive titles in 2023 and 2024. Her 82 from 59 balls, plus two wickets in the 2023 final, remains the defining innings of the short history of the competition. “You don’t replace a player like that, you find a different way to win,” Collymore admitted during a short media call on Sunday morning.
All-rounder Chinelle Henry, an ever-present in the side since the league’s launch, steps up as captain. She sounded pragmatic when contacted by local radio: “It’s a tough break for Hayley, but the group’s tight and we move on quickly. The badge still expects standards.”
Matthews first jarred the shoulder on West Indies’ tour of England in June. She managed the home series against South Africa and a stint in the Hundred, though the joint never fully settled. Medical advice has pointed to surgery now, rather than risking a longer lay-off later in the year.
The enforced reshuffle could fast-track several youngsters. NaiJanni Cumberbatch, Trishan Holder and Steffie Soogrim, fresh from a training block at the Chennai Super Kings Academy, are tipped for early game time. “They’ve trained hard, they just need the stage,” selectors’ convenor Ann Browne-John said.
Royals 15-player squad: Chinelle Henry (capt), Afy Fletcher, Aaliyah Alleyne, Kycia Knight, Steffie Soogrim, Shamilia Connell, Sheneta Grimmond, Qiana Joseph, Trishan Holder, NaiJanni Cumberbatch, Chamari Athapaththu, Georgia Redmayne, Courtney Webb, Shreyanka Patil.
