All six Caribbean Premier League (CPL) franchises have locked in their mandatory pre-draft Breakout Player retentions ahead of the 2026 CPL Draft. Each team was permitted to retain one player from the Breakout Player category before the draft, with the remaining squad spots to be filled during the player draft process.
The retained players are Joshua James for the Antigua & Barbuda Falcons, Ramon Simmonds for the Barbados Royals, Quentin Sampson for the Guyana Amazon Warriors, Navin Bidaisee for the St Kitts & Nevis Patriots, Ackeem Auguste for the Saint Lucia Kings, and Nathan Edward for the Trinbago Knight Riders.
Under CPL regulations, each franchise must include three Breakout Players in their final squad and field at least one such player in every match during the season. The initiative provides young Caribbean cricketers with exposure at the region's premier T20 competition while strengthening the developmental pathway into higher levels of the game.
With franchises restricted to just one pre-draft retention - exclusively from the Breakout category - the focus now shifts to the CPL Draft, where teams will complete their squads ahead of the 2026 season, which will run from August 7 to September 20.
