.jpg)
Chicago Premier Cricket League
#beatthebest
CPCLT20 Elite Championship — Season 4 is Here.
Chicagoland's Most Competitive Franchise Cricket League Returns
The Crown. The Glory. The Battle. Drafted. Fought. Earned. 3 Seasons. 9 Distinct Teams. 187 Players. One Champion. Season 4 of Chicago's premier tennis ball cricket franchise tournament begins June 2026.
What is CPCLT20 ELITE CHAMPIONSHIP?
Now in its 4th season, the CPCLT20 Elite Championship is the flagship franchise tournament of the Chicago Premier Cricket League (CPCL) — and the most coveted title in Chicagoland cricket.
Launched in 2023, the Elite Championship was built on a simple idea: give Chicagoland's best tennis ball cricketers a stage worthy of their talent. What began as a 4-team competition has grown into the most anticipated cricket event in the Illinois cricket calendar — with franchise owners, live auctions, and ultra competitive matches at Dee Park Cricket Ground in Des Plaines, IL, and matches live-streamed to hundreds of households across the Chicagoland area.
This isn't a pickup game. This is a draft and auction-based franchise league, where team owners scout and select from the finest cricketers across Schaumburg, Naperville, Aurora, Hanover Park, and the wider Chicagoland region to build their squads, craft their strategies, and battle it out for the ultimate bragging rights in Illinois cricket.
Four seasons. Fierce rivalries. One crown. Are you good enough to play Elite cricket in Chicago?
Season 4 Player Auction Enrollment — Now Open
The Season 4 auction pool is officially open. Franchise owners across Chicagoland are reviewing registered players right now. Get your name in front of them before the deadline.
✅ Open to all cricketers — CPCL and Non-CPCL players welcome
✅ All roles considered — Batters, Bowlers, All-rounders, Wicketkeepers
✅ Your profile goes directly to franchise owners before Auction Day
✅ Every match live-streamed — your performance reaches the entire Chicago cricket community
⏰ Registration Deadline: April 17, 2025
🎯 Live Auction: April 19, 2025
🏟️ Season 4 Begins: June 2, 2025 — Dee Park Cricket Ground, Hanover Park IL
Meet the Season 4 Franchisees
Six owners. One dream. Which Chicagoland Franchise Lifts the Trophy in 2026?
Hall of Champions
Three seasons of the CPCLT20 Elite Championship. Three unforgettable finals. Three teams who proved they were the best franchise cricket team in all of Chicagoland. Their names are permanent.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where are CPCLT20 Elite matches played?
All CPCLT20 Elite Championship matches are played at Dee Park Cricket Ground, Des Plaines, Illinois — one of the premier cricket venues in the Chicagoland area. Matches are played on weekdays from June-August, and every game is live-streamed so fans across Chicagoland can follow the action.
Is the CPCLT20 Elite the same as the CPCL Champions League?
No — they are two separate competitions run by the Chicago Premier Cricket League (CPCL). The CPCLT20 Elite Championship is a franchise-based auction league featuring owner-operated teams, while the CPCL Champions League operates on a different format. The Elite Championship is CPCL's flagship premium tournament and is now in its 4th season.
How do I enroll as a player for the Season 4 auction, and what is the deadline?
Player enrollment for the CPCLT20 Elite Season 4 is now open! All players wishing to be considered in the auction pool must enroll before April 17, 2025. To enroll, visit the ENROLLMENT link and complete the player enrollment form. Players who miss the deadline will not be eligible for the auction pool — so don't wait. Note: ICON Players must also be enrolled for the auction by April 3, 2025, which is when franchises must finalize their ICON picks.
Do I need to have played in CPCL before to enroll?
No — the auction pool is open to all players, whether you've played in CPCL before or not. Players are classified as either CPCL (having previously represented a team in the league) or Non-CPCL, and are further categorized by role — Batsman, Bowler, All-rounder, or Wicketkeeper. Each category has its own base price, so regardless of your background, if you have the skills, a franchise could come calling on auction day.
What is the ICON Player system and how does it affect me?
Each franchise may select up to 4 ICON Players before the ICON player selection deadline of April 3, 2025. ICON players are pre-selected by team owners outside of the live auction — think of it as franchises locking in their marquee names before the bidding war begins. Crucially, ICON players must still be enrolled in the auction pool to be eligible for selection. If a team picks fewer than 4 ICON players, they go into the live auction with a larger purse to compensate, giving them more firepower to build their squad through bidding.
How does the live auction actually work on April 19th?
The auction is a live, structured bidding event. Here's how it unfolds:
-
Players are grouped by category (Batters, Bowlers, All-rounders, and a Surprise Category), with up to 10 players auctioned per category before the auctioneer moves to the next.
-
The auctioneer randomly selects a player name and announces their role and base price.
-
Franchises signal their bid by raising their paddle. Bids increase in fixed increments — the team with the highest bid wins the player.
-
If two teams are tied at the highest bid, a discreet coin toss — managed by the auctioneer and the CPCLT20 Elite Governing Council — decides the winner.
-
No single player's bid can exceed 25% of a team's total auction purse, keeping things competitive and balanced.
-
The auction may be live-streamed for full transparency, with an independent audit team overseeing proceedings.
Each team must build a squad of 16 to 20 players and must spend at least 75% of their auction purse.
What happens if I go unsold at the auction, or if a player gets injured after the squads are finalized?
Unsold players are not out of the picture — they can be reintroduced into the auction pool at the end of the first round, giving teams another opportunity to bid.
Post-auction injuries are handled through a replacement policy: injured or unavailable players may be replaced, but only from the pool of unsold players, and all replacements require approval from the CPCL Governing Council. Additionally, a trading window runs April 20–26, 2025, during which teams can swap players by mutual owner consent — each trade costs $100 per player, and a maximum of 2 trades per team is permitted. Note that ICON players cannot be traded.