Gudakesh Motie Profile 2026: CPL, Stats & Barbados Move
Motie was raised in a cricket-first household in Albion, Berbice, the youngest child and only son of Kanhai Motie and Tarmattie Harrilall, with two elder sisters. His father’s early coaching is widely credited as the foundation of his bowling technique.
Gudakesh Motie is a 31-year-old Guyanese left-arm spinner who became West Indies’ first-choice white-ball spin option after debuting in 2021. His career-defining moment came in February 2023, when his 13/99 against Zimbabwe set a new West Indies Test record for a spinner. In CPL cricket, he spent 2021–2025 with the Guyana Amazon Warriors, winning the 2023 title and reaching three straight finals, before being drafted by the Barbados Tridents ahead of the 2026 season. He remains a key figure in the West Indies’ T20 attack, highlighted by a 4/28 return against Zimbabwe at the 2026 T20 World Cup.
Gudakesh Motie is a Guyanese left-arm orthodox spinner who plays for West Indies internationally and the Barbados Tridents in the CPL 2026 season, after five years with the Guyana Amazon Warriors. Born 29 March 1995, he holds the record for the best Test bowling figures by a West Indies spinner (13/99 vs Zimbabwe, 2023).
Editor’s note (July 2026): Gudakesh Motie’s biggest story right now isn’t in the West Indies dressing room — it’s on the CPL transfer sheet. After five seasons as the heartbeat of the Guyana Amazon Warriors’ spin attack, Motie was drafted by the rebranded Barbados Tridents on 15 May 2026, ending one of the most recognisable player-franchise pairings in CPL history. This article has been fully updated to reflect that move.
Quick Facts
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Gudakesh Motie (listed on some official documents as Gudakesh Motie-Kanhai) |
| Nickname | Motie |
| Date of Birth | 29 March 1995 |
| Age | 31 years (as of July 2026) |
| Birthplace | Albion, Berbice, Guyana (raised in Georgetown) |
| Nationality | Guyanese (West Indian) |
| Height | Approx. 6 ft (1.83 m) |
| Batting Style | Left-handed |
| Bowling Style | Slow left-arm orthodox |
| Playing Role | Bowler |
| Jersey Number | 64 |
| Current International Team | West Indies |
| Current Domestic Team | Guyana (Harpy Eagles / Jaguars) |
| Current CPL Team (2026) | Barbados Tridents |
| Former CPL Team | Guyana Amazon Warriors (2021–2025) |
| IPL Team | None (has not been picked in an IPL auction) |
| Other Franchise Leagues | ILT20 (Abu Dhabi Knight Riders), SA20 (Paarl Royals) |
| International Debut | T20I: 16 December 2021 vs Pakistan, Karachi |
| Marital Status | Not publicly confirmed |
| Estimated Net Worth | $1–2 million (approx.) |
| Official Instagram | @motie_68 |
| Official X (Twitter) | No verified account |
Early Life
Gudakesh Motie’s cricket story begins not in Georgetown, but on a public ground in Albion, Central Corentyne, Berbice. As a six-year-old, he wandered onto the Albion Sports Complex after being encouraged by a schoolmate from Belvedere Primary to join the local club — a chance introduction that turned into a lifelong obsession with the game.
His cricketing genes came from close to home. His father, Kanhai Motie, played club-level cricket as a batsman and became his son’s first coach, drilling the fundamentals into him on Berbice’s matting and turf wickets. His mother, Tarmattie Harrilall, ran the household and, by most accounts, was just as central to keeping a young Motie’s cricket ambitions on track. He grew up as the youngest in the family, with two elder sisters.
A quirk from his early paperwork has followed him throughout his career: when Motie received his first passport, an administrative error listed his father’s first name, Kanhai, as part of his surname. Youth team managers picked up the name from his travel documents, and “Motie-Kanhai” stuck in some official records for years before the error was corrected on a reissued passport, which is why fans still occasionally see both versions of his name on scorecards and federation databases.
Motie represented Guyana’s age-group teams through his mid-teens before earning selection for the West Indies Under-19 squad at the 2014 Under-19 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates. It wasn’t a breakout tournament statistically — six wickets from six bowling innings at an average in the mid-30s — but it put him on the regional radar and coincided with a growth spurt that took him from a slight teenager to the tall, high-armed spinner recognisable today.
Domestic Career
Motie’s first-class debut came on 6 November 2015, playing for Guyana against the Windward Islands in the Regional Four-Day Competition. He didn’t have to wait long to make an impression: in just his second first-class match, against the Leeward Islands, he returned career-defining figures of 6 for 20 and 5 for 85 (match figures of 11 for 105), earning Player of the Match honours and instantly marking himself as a spinner to watch in West Indian domestic cricket.
He built steadily from there. His List A debut followed on 7 January 2016 against the Windward Islands. Over the next several seasons, Motie became a fixture of the Guyana Jaguars’ bowling attack, valued for his control and his ability to extract turn even on unhelpful Caribbean surfaces.
Two domestic milestones stand out on his route to international selection:
- 2020–21 Regional Super50: Motie finished as the tournament’s leading wicket-taker, claiming 16–17 wickets (reported figures vary slightly by source) and winning the Sir Curtly Ambrose Award for his List A form.
- May 2022 (2021–22 West Indies Championship): Motie scored a maiden first-class century, an unbeaten 110 against Barbados, underlining that he is far more than a lower-order swinger of the bat.
By his mid-20s, Motie had also crossed the 100-first-class-wicket mark for Guyana, cementing himself as one of the most reliable spin options in regional four-day cricket — a body of work that, allied to his 2021 CPL form, forced his way into national selection.
International Career
Debut and Rise
Motie’s international bow came in the T20I format on 16 December 2021, against Pakistan in Karachi — a tough assignment for a first cap, bowling on subcontinent surfaces against a strong batting line-up. His Test debut followed on 16 June 2022, against Bangladesh at North Sound, with his ODI debut coming three weeks later, on 10 July 2022, also against Bangladesh at Providence.
The Bulawayo Masterclass
The defining moment of Motie’s Test career arrived in February 2023 during West Indies’ tour of Zimbabwe. In Bulawayo, he produced match figures of 13 for 99, the best return by a West Indies spinner in Test history, eclipsing Sonny Ramadhin’s 11 for 152 against England — a record that had stood since 1950. The performance won him the Man of the Series award for the tour and instantly established him as the first-choice spinner in the West Indies’ red-ball set-up.
Continued Selection
- December 2023: Named in the West Indies Test squad for the away series against Australia.
- May 2024: Selected for the West Indies squad for the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
- February 2026: Selected for West Indies’ 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup squad (held across India and Sri Lanka), where he was among the standout bowlers of the Super Eights stage.
T20 World Cup 2026 — Wankhede Heroics
In the Super Eights clash against Zimbabwe at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium, Motie was central to a dominant West Indies bowling display. Chasing a mammoth 255, Zimbabwe were reduced to 20 for 3 inside three overs before Motie struck twice in as many balls to leave the innings in ruins. He finished with figures of 4 for 28, sharing seven wickets with fellow left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein as West Indies won by 107 runs — one of the most complete team bowling performances of the tournament.
Franchise Cricket Career
Motie’s white-ball franchise résumé is built almost entirely around the Caribbean Premier League, but he has also picked up opportunities in the UAE and South Africa’s shorter formats.
| League | Team(s) | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Caribbean Premier League (CPL) | Guyana Amazon Warriors (2021–2025); Barbados Tridents (2026–) | Highest-priority league — see full breakdown below |
| ILT20 (UAE) | Abu Dhabi Knight Riders | Squad member, expanding his experience on subcontinent-style pitches |
| SA20 (South Africa) | Paarl Royals | Squad member |
| Indian Premier League (IPL) | None | Never picked up at auction |
| Pakistan Super League (PSL) | None confirmed | No verified PSL contract |
| Big Bash League, The Hundred, LPL, MLC, Global T20 Canada | None | Not currently featured in these leagues |
His CPL performances remain, by some distance, the biggest driver of his franchise reputation and the reason franchises across formats have taken notice of his left-arm spin.
Caribbean Premier League (CPL) Career
2026 Status: A New Chapter at Barbados Tridents
This is the single biggest CPL storyline involving Motie heading into the 2026 season. At the CPL 2026 player draft on 15 May 2026, the newly-renamed Barbados Tridents (formerly Barbados Royals) selected Motie, ending his five-season association with the Guyana Amazon Warriors. He joins fellow Guyanese player Sherfane Rutherford in Bridgetown, alongside a Tridents core that includes Brandon King, Kadeem Alleyne, Rivaldo Clarke, Zishan Motara, Johann Layne, and Kofi James.
Guyana, in turn, moved quickly to fill the void, drafting fellow left-arm spinner Khary Pierre (previously with the Saint Lucia Kings) as his direct replacement. Analysts have noted that while Pierre is a like-for-like replacement in bowling style, he lacks Motie’s familiarity with the Providence Stadium surface that made the Guyanese spinner so difficult to face at home.
Speaking on the move, Motie said it represented “a new chapter” in his career, adding that his focus remained on “contributing in every way possible” and helping the Tridents “compete for the title.” CPL 2026 runs from 7 August to 20 September 2026, with the final scheduled for the Tridents’ own home venue, Kensington Oval in Bridgetown — adding extra intrigue to Motie’s first season away from Guyana.
CPL Draft and Signing History
| Season | Team | Signing Route |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Guyana Amazon Warriors | Signed on the back of a stellar 2020–21 Super50 campaign |
| 2022–2025 | Guyana Amazon Warriors | Retained/re-signed each season |
| 2026 | Barbados Tridents | Selected in the 2026 CPL local player draft (15 May 2026) |
CPL Debut and Career Overview
Motie made his CPL debut on 8 September 2021, playing for the Guyana Amazon Warriors against the St Lucia Kings. Over the following five seasons, he became one of the league’s most trusted middle-overs spin options, prized for tying batters down on used Providence surfaces and for his knack of striking at pivotal moments in knockout cricket.
CPL Career Statistics (Through 2025 Season, with Guyana Amazon Warriors)
| Format | Matches | Wickets | Average | Economy | Best Figures |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CPL (T20) | 53 | 64 | 19.87 | 7.22 | 5/21 |
Figures reflect his complete Guyana Amazon Warriors tenure (2021–2025); his 2026 numbers will be tracked separately as a Barbados Tridents player once the season begins.
CPL Team History Snapshot
| Years | Team | Notable Team Achievement |
|---|---|---|
| 2021–2025 | Guyana Amazon Warriors | 2023 CPL champions; 2025 CPL runners-up |
| 2026– | Barbados Tridents | New franchise partnership begins |
Championship Pedigree
Motie’s Guyana Amazon Warriors years overlapped with the most successful period in the franchise’s history:
- 24 September 2023: Guyana Amazon Warriors won their maiden CPL title, defeating Trinbago Knight Riders by nine wickets — ending a decade-long wait after five previous final defeats. Motie was part of that title-winning bowling attack.
- 2025 CPL Final: Guyana Amazon Warriors returned to the final for a third straight season but lost to Trinbago Knight Riders by three wickets in a thriller, denying the franchise back-to-back titles.
CPL Records, Milestones & Recognition
- Consistently ranked among the most economical spin options in the CPL middle overs during his Guyana tenure.
- Central figure in the Amazon Warriors’ run of three consecutive CPL finals (2023–2025).
- Recognised locally for his CPL form with the Berbice Cricket Board’s Cricketer of the Year award (June 2025).
Fantasy Cricket Value & Captaincy Outlook
For CPL 2026 squads, Motie remains a strong middle-overs pick on economy alone, though a switch to a new franchise (and a new home ground at Kensington Oval) introduces an adjustment period fantasy managers should watch closely in the opening rounds. He has not previously captained a CPL franchise — leadership duties at both Guyana (Imran Tahir) and now Barbados have gone to more experienced campaigners — so there is no realistic captain/vice-captain scenario to factor into fantasy team selection this season.
What to Expect in CPL 2026
Expect Motie to slot straight into the Tridents’ first-choice spin-bowling role from the tournament opener on 7 August. His numbers at Kensington Oval as a visiting player have historically been solid, but the true test will be replicating his Providence economy rate away from the ground where he built his reputation. Given the final is being hosted at Kensington Oval this year, a strong Tridents campaign could see Motie chasing a second CPL title with a second franchise in the very stadium he now calls home.
Playing Style
Strengths: Motie is a tall (six-foot) left-arm orthodox spinner who uses his height to extract extra bounce, a trait that troubles batters looking to go over the top in the CPL’s shorter formats. His control in the middle overs — mixing flatter, quicker deliveries with genuine loop and turn — has made him West Indies’ first-choice white-ball spinner and a franchise-cricket regular across three leagues.
Weaknesses: Like most finger-spinners in T20 cricket, Motie can be targeted by aggressive left-handed batters who use their reach to negate turn, and his economy rate climbs when franchises target him in the powerplay rather than the middle overs where he is most comfortable.
Batting: A genuine lower-order asset rather than a specialist, evidenced by his unbeaten 110 in first-class cricket — useful depth for both West Indies and his franchise sides in must-win situations.
Comparison with Similar Players: Motie is frequently compared to fellow West Indies left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein; the two have combined effectively for club and country, most notably sharing seven wickets in the West Indies’ 2026 T20 World Cup rout of Zimbabwe.
Career Statistics
Test
| Matches | Wickets | Average | Economy | Best Bowling |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | 35 | 27.03 | 3.26 | 13/99 (match); best innings figures among the tournament’s most decorated spin returns |
ODI
| Matches | Wickets | Average | Economy | Best Bowling |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 34 | 42 | 31.48 | 4.75 | 4/23 |
T20 (International + Franchise Combined)
| Matches | Wickets | Average | Economy | Best Bowling |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 51 | 49 | 25.86 | 7.92 | 4/28 |
CPL
| Matches | Wickets | Average | Economy | Best Bowling |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 53 | 64 | 19.87 | 7.22 | 5/21 |
Note: Statistics are current as of the end of the 2025 international/franchise season and will be updated as CPL 2026 progresses. Figures compiled from ICC, CPL, and franchise scorecards; minor discrepancies exist across public databases due to differing List A/T20 classification methods.
Records & Achievements
International Records
- Best bowling figures by a West Indies spinner in Test match history (13/99 vs Zimbabwe, Bulawayo, February 2023), surpassing Sonny Ramadhin’s 71-year-old record.
- Man of the Series award for the 2023 Zimbabwe Test tour.
League/Domestic Records
- Leading wicket-taker, 2020–21 Regional Super50 (Sir Curtly Ambrose Award winner).
- Career-best first-class figures of 11/105 (6/20 and 5/85) in just his second first-class match.
CPL Records
- Part of Guyana Amazon Warriors’ historic maiden CPL title win in 2023.
- Featured in three consecutive CPL finals (2023, 2024, 2025) with the Amazon Warriors.
Awards
- Berbice Cricket Board Cricketer of the Year (2025).
Milestones
- Passed 100 first-class wickets for Guyana.
- First West Indies bowler to open a Test innings with spin in the team’s history, during the 2024 series against Pakistan in Multan.
Latest Form
Motie enters the 2026 season carrying strong T20 World Cup form into a brand-new CPL environment. His 4/28 against Zimbabwe in the Super Eights was one of the standout individual bowling returns of the 2026 T20 World Cup and confirmed his standing as West Indies’ first-choice white-ball spinner heading into the Caribbean season. With CPL 2026 not starting until 7 August, his most recent competitive cricket remains his international white-ball form; his Barbados Tridents CPL numbers will begin accumulating once the tournament gets underway.
Net Worth
Motie’s estimated net worth sits in the $1–2 million range, drawn from a combination of income streams typical of a modern West Indies white-ball specialist:
- Cricket West Indies central contract and match fees across formats.
- CPL franchise salary (Guyana Amazon Warriors through 2025; Barbados Tridents from 2026).
- Guyana domestic cricket salary with the Harpy Eagles/Jaguars setup.
- Endorsements, including a brand ambassadorship with KFC Guyana (from July 2024), the E4/Cricket Zone USA partnership (from March 2025), and his role as the Guyana Tourism Authority’s official Tourism Brand Ambassador (from May 2025).
Exact salary breakdowns are not publicly disclosed by Cricket West Indies or CPL franchises, so figures above should be treated as informed estimates rather than confirmed totals.
Official Social Media
| Platform | Handle |
|---|---|
| @motie_68 | |
| Gudakesh Motie (official page) | |
| X (Twitter) | No verified account |
Interesting Facts
- Motie’s surname briefly became “Motie-Kanhai” on official documents due to a passport error listing his father’s first name as part of his surname.
- He took a ten-wicket haul (11/105) in just his second first-class match, aged 20.
- His 13/99 in Bulawayo broke a 71-year-old West Indies Test spin record set by Sonny Ramadhin.
- He scored an unbeaten first-class century (110 vs Barbados) despite being primarily known as a bowler.
- He was the leading wicket-taker in the 2020–21 Regional Super50, winning the Sir Curtly Ambrose Award.
- He made history in 2024 by opening a West Indies Test innings with spin for the first time in the team’s 582-match history.
- He was part of Guyana Amazon Warriors’ maiden CPL title win in 2023, ending a decade-long finals drought for the franchise.
- He played in three straight CPL finals (2023–2025) before leaving Guyana for Barbados in the 2026 draft.
- He shared seven wickets with fellow left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein in a single innings during the 2026 T20 World Cup.
- He is a brand ambassador for KFC Guyana and the Guyana Tourism Authority.
- He stands roughly six feet tall, using his height to extract extra bounce as a finger-spinner.
- His CPL 2026 move to Barbados Tridents places him at Kensington Oval — this year’s confirmed CPL final venue.
- He has featured in the ILT20 (Abu Dhabi Knight Riders) and SA20 (Paarl Royals) but has never been picked up in the IPL.
- He made his T20I debut against Pakistan in Karachi in December 2021, a tough assignment for a spinner on debut.
- He won the Berbice Cricket Board’s Cricketer of the Year award in 2025, recognising his contribution to regional cricket.
Career Timeline
| Year | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 1995 | Born 29 March, Albion, Berbice, Guyana |
| 2014 | Represents West Indies U-19 at the Under-19 World Cup, UAE |
| 2015 | First-class debut for Guyana vs Windward Islands; takes 11/105 in his second match |
| 2016 | List A debut for Guyana |
| 2020–21 | Leading wicket-taker in the Regional Super50; wins Sir Curtly Ambrose Award |
| 2021 | CPL debut for Guyana Amazon Warriors (8 September); T20I debut vs Pakistan (16 December) |
| 2022 | Test debut (16 June) and ODI debut (10 July), both vs Bangladesh; scores maiden FC century (110 vs Barbados) |
| 2023 | Career-best Test figures of 13/99 vs Zimbabwe in Bulawayo; wins Man of the Series; Guyana Amazon Warriors win maiden CPL title |
| 2024 | Selected for the 2024 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup; opens a Test innings with spin for the first time in West Indies history |
| 2025 | Guyana Amazon Warriors reach third straight CPL final (runners-up); wins Berbice Cricket Board Cricketer of the Year; becomes Guyana Tourism Authority Brand Ambassador |
| 2026 | Selected for the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup; takes 4/28 vs Zimbabwe at Wankhede; drafted by Barbados Tridents in the CPL 2026 draft (15 May), ending a five-season spell with Guyana Amazon Warriors |
FAQS
How old is Gudakesh Motie?
Gudakesh Motie was born on 29 March 1995 and is 31 years old as of 2026.
How tall is Gudakesh Motie?
He is approximately 6 feet (1.83 m) tall.
Is Gudakesh Motie married?
His marital status is not publicly confirmed; reports vary, and none have been verified by an official source.
What is Gudakesh Motie’s net worth?
His estimated net worth is in the $1–2 million range, built from his Cricket West Indies contract, CPL and franchise salaries, and endorsements.
What is Gudakesh Motie’s current CPL team?
He plays for the Barbados Tridents in CPL 2026, after being drafted from the Guyana Amazon Warriors in May 2026.
Which CPL team did Gudakesh Motie play for before Barbados?
He played for the Guyana Amazon Warriors from 2021 to 2025, winning the CPL title with them in 2023.
Does Gudakesh Motie play in the IPL?
No, he has never been picked up in an IPL auction.
Does Gudakesh Motie play in the PSL?
There is no verified record of a PSL contract for Motie.
What is Gudakesh Motie’s jersey number?
He wears jersey number 64 across international and franchise cricket.
What is Gudakesh Motie’s highest score in cricket?
His highest score is an unbeaten 110, scored in first-class cricket against Barbados in 2022.
What are Gudakesh Motie’s best bowling figures?
His career-best figures are 13/99 (match) in Test cricket against Zimbabwe in February 2023, the best return by a West Indies spinner in Test history.
What are Gudakesh Motie’s CPL statistics?
Through the 2025 season with the Guyana Amazon Warriors, he played 53 matches, took 64 wickets at an average of 19.87 and an economy of 7.22, with best figures of 5/21.
When did Gudakesh Motie make his international debut?
He made his T20I debut on 16 December 2021 against Pakistan in Karachi.
What bowling style does Gudakesh Motie use?
He is a slow left-arm orthodox spinner (left-arm finger spin).
Is Gudakesh Motie a good fantasy cricket pick for CPL 2026?
He remains a solid middle-overs, economy-focused pick, though his move to a new franchise and home ground introduces some early-season uncertainty for fantasy managers.
Has Gudakesh Motie ever captained a CPL team?
No, he has not captained a CPL franchise; leadership at both Guyana and Barbados has gone to other senior players.
What records does Gudakesh Motie hold?
He holds the record for the best bowling figures by a West Indies spinner in a Test match (13/99), surpassing a mark that had stood for 71 years.
Is Gudakesh Motie injured currently?
There are no verified reports of Motie carrying an injury heading into the 2026 CPL season; he played a full role in West Indies’ 2026 T20 World Cup campaign.
What is the latest news on Gudakesh Motie?
The biggest recent news is his move from the Guyana Amazon Warriors to the Barbados Tridents in the CPL 2026 player draft, held on 15 May 2026.
