CPL News
Pete Russell to Step Down as CPL Chief Executive After 14 Years
One of the league's founding team, Russell stays in the job until a new chief executive is appointed and will keep supporting the board.
In brief
A founding figure leaves the CPL's top job
- Pete Russell, part of the CPL's original founding team, will step back from his full-time role as chief executive.
- He stays in post until a new CEO is appointed and will continue to support the board and leadership team.
- The CPL group now runs seven franchise teams plus its own production company, TV channel, streaming app and events business.
Pete Russell ends 14 years leading the CPL
Pete Russell will step back from his full-time job as chief executive of the Caribbean Premier League, the league confirmed days after Antigua & Barbuda Falcons lifted their first trophy in the CPL 2026 final. Russell was part of the small group that founded the tournament, and he leaves the top job after 14 years.
There is no immediate handover. Russell remains in place until a replacement is appointed, and the league says he will keep supporting the board and the senior management team after that. CPL described its leadership group as experienced and settled, with the board focused on the next stage of the tournament's growth.
From start-up idea to seven franchise teams
The CPL Russell leaves behind looks very different from the one he helped start. What began as a start-up idea is now one of the best-known T20 leagues in world cricket, built around full grounds and a strong Caribbean identity. The league says its greatest effect has been bringing supporters back to cricket in the region and giving young West Indian players a stage watched around the world.
The business kept expanding in the last year alone. The group now has seven franchise teams, its own production company in Live and Louder Productions, the Rush Live & Louder television channel, a streaming app and an events arm. The full back story of that growth is in the CPL history guide.
Board thanks Russell for his time in charge
Chairman Richard Bevan thanked Russell for his leadership and commitment across his tenure. Founding investor Denis O'Brien, who owns the league, called him a fantastic leader of CPL and pointed to the expansion into media and events under his watch. O'Brien added that Russell will remain involved with the wider group even after he gives up the chief executive role.
Russell said his proudest feeling was about the fans and the players the league has served, from packed stands to the young cricketers who used the CPL to chase bigger careers. His closing words were simple: "It has been the privilege of a lifetime." The list of champions built during his years in charge is on the CPL winners list.