Guyana Amazon Warriors 2026 Squad: Full Players List, Predicted Playing XI & Team Preview
The Guyana Amazon Warriors head into CPL 2026 carrying the identity that’s defined them since 2013: a settled Caribbean batting core, a spin attack built for Providence Stadium, and a habit of reaching finals more often than any other franchise in the competition. Led by Imran Tahir, this year’s squad blends four retained title-era players with the biggest personnel change Guyana has made in years — the departure of long-serving spinner Gudakesh Motie and the arrival of Khary Pierre in his place.
Since joining the league in its inaugural 2013 season, the Warriors have reached eight CPL finals, more than any other team, but converted only one into a title in 2023, in front of a home crowd at Providence. That mix of consistency and knockout heartbreak is what makes this squad worth watching closely again in 2026.
Squad at a Glance
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Team | Guyana Amazon Warriors (GAW) |
| League | Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) |
| 2026 Season | 7 August – 20 September 2026 |
| Captain | Imran Tahir |
| Head Coach | Lance Klusener |
| Home Ground | Providence Stadium, East Bank Demerara, Guyana |
| Owner | New GPC Inc. (Chairman: Dr. Ranjisinghi “Bobby” Ramroop) |
| CPL Titles | 1 (2023) |
| CPL Finals Reached | 8 — the most of any franchise |
| Other Silverware | Global Super League champions, 2025 |
| 2026 Headline Change | Gudakesh Motie departs for Barbados Tridents; Khary Pierre drafted in as replacement |
Guyana Amazon Warriors 2026 Full Squad
The Guyana Amazon Warriors squad for CPL 2026 pairs a settled Caribbean core with a refreshed overseas contingent, built around continuity in batting and a genuine question mark in spin.
Batters
- Shimron Hetmyer (West Indies)
- Shai Hope (WK – West Indies)
- Shamarh Brooks
- Kevlon Anderson
Wicketkeepers
- Shai Hope
- Kemol Savory
All-rounders
- Glenn Phillips (New Zealand)
- Romario Shepherd (West Indies)
- Dwaine Pretorius
- Quentin Sampson
- Keemo Paul
Bowlers
- Imran Tahir (Captain)
- Khary Pierre
- Shamar Joseph
- Hassan Khan
- Riyad Latiff
- Jediah Blades
Overseas Stars
- Imran Tahir – Captain, leg-spin
- Glenn Phillips – Explosive middle-order batter
- Mohammad Nabi – Afghan all-rounder, spin, and lower-order hitting
- Rahmanullah Gurbaz – Afghan wicketkeeper-batter, top-order power
- Dwaine Pretorius – Reliable death-overs bowler
This overseas group trades Moeen Ali’s all-round flexibility for a different kind of balance — Nabi and Gurbaz add fresh firepower at the top and bottom of the order, while Phillips and Pretorius carry over from previous seasons.
2026 Draft: Retained Players, New Signings & Departures
Guyana used all four of their Right-to-Match Options on Shimron Hetmyer, Romario Shepherd, Shai Hope, and Shamar Joseph. Every slot went toward batting or pace — none toward spin, which stands out given how central spin bowling has been to this franchise’s identity at Providence.
Quentin Sampson was retained as the team’s pre-draft Breakout Player. The change that reshapes the squad most is Gudakesh Motie’s departure after five seasons to join the renamed Barbados Tridents. Khary Pierre, drafted from Saint Lucia Kings, steps in as his replacement.
| Movement | Player | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Retained (Right-to-Match) | Shimron Hetmyer | Middle-order batter |
| Retained (Right-to-Match) | Romario Shepherd | All-rounder |
| Retained (Right-to-Match) | Shai Hope | Top-order, wicketkeeper |
| Retained (Right-to-Match) | Shamar Joseph | Pace bowler |
| Retained (Breakout Player) | Quentin Sampson | All-rounder |
| Drafted in | Khary Pierre | Left-arm spin |
| Departed | Gudakesh Motie | Left-arm spin, joined Barbados Tridents |
Captain & Head Coach
Captain: Imran Tahir
Imran Tahir continues to lead the side with an attacking mindset and aggressive field placements. His control of the middle overs, both as a bowler and as a tactician, remains one of the team’s biggest strengths heading into another CPL campaign.
Head Coach: Lance Klusener
Lance Klusener has built a disciplined, role-clear setup since taking over in 2023, and that structure has held through three finals in four seasons. His approach to smart tactics and player development remains a core part of why Guyana’s squad-building stays consistent year to year.
Ownership: New GPC Inc. & Dr. Bobby Ramroop
Guyana Amazon Warriors are owned by New GPC Inc. (New Guyana Pharmaceutical Corporation), one of Guyana’s largest pharmaceutical and consumer goods companies. Chairman Dr. Ranjisinghi “Bobby” Ramroop has held the franchise since the CPL’s 2013 launch — the only ownership group in the competition that has never sold, restructured, or rebranded its team.
That stability is unusual in this league. Jamaica’s original franchise went defunct and returned in 2026 under new owners as the Jamaica Kingsmen; Barbados has changed its name more than once in the past decade. Guyana’s unbroken ownership is part of why the squad-building approach — heavy investment in home-grown spin, steady retention of a Caribbean batting core — has stayed consistent across 13 seasons.
Home Ground: Providence Stadium
Providence Stadium, also known as the Guyana National Stadium, sits on the East Bank of Demerara, about 9km south of Georgetown. It was built for the 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup, largely funded by the Government of India, and replaced Bourda as Guyana’s national ground. Reported capacity ranges from around 15,000 seated to roughly 20,000, including the grass-mound standing areas.
The pitch is widely regarded as one of the more spin-friendly surfaces in the Caribbean — a major reason Guyana has consistently prioritised quality spin bowling over the years.
Guyana has played only two CPL finals at Providence: the 2023 title win over Trinbago Knight Riders, and the 2025 final, lost to the same opponent. Every other final defeat came at a neutral venue elsewhere in the Caribbean. One win and one loss at home isn’t a large enough sample to call this a decisive edge, but it does explain why the composition of the spin attack matters more to Guyana’s prospects than the venue itself.
Season-by-Season CPL Record (2013–2025)
| Season | Result | Opp. | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Runners-up | Jamaica Tallawahs | Neutral |
| 2014 | Runners-up | Barbados Tridents | Neutral |
| 2015 | Semi-finalists | — | — |
| 2016 | Runners-up | Jamaica Tallawahs | Neutral |
| 2017 | Playoffs | — | — |
| 2018 | Runners-up | Trinbago Knight Riders | Neutral |
| 2019 | Runners-up | Barbados Tridents | Neutral |
| 2020 | Semi-finalists | — | — |
| 2021 | Semi-finalists | — | — |
| 2022 | Playoffs | — | — |
| 2023 | Champions | Trinbago Knight Riders | Home |
| 2024 | Runners-up | Saint Lucia Kings | Neutral |
| 2025 | Runners-up | Trinbago Knight Riders | Home |
Records & Milestones
- 8 CPL finals reached — the most of any franchise in the competition’s history
- 1 CPL title (2023) from those 8 finals
- Only team to have played every CPL season since the league’s 2013 launch
- The only South American franchise in a Caribbean-based competition
- Global Super League champions, 2025 — a separate trophy from the CPL
- Shai Hope: 481 runs in the 2023 title campaign, Player of the Tournament
- Dwaine Pretorius: 20 wickets in 2023, Player of the Match in both Qualifier 2 and the final
What’s Changed Since Last Season
- Out: Gudakesh Motie, to Barbados Tridents after five seasons
- In: Khary Pierre, drafted from Saint Lucia Kings
- Out: Moeen Ali no longer part of the overseas group
- In: Mohammad Nabi and Rahmanullah Gurbaz join the overseas contingent
- Retained via Right-to-Match: Hetmyer, Shepherd, Hope, Joseph
- Breakout retention: Quentin Sampson
Motie was Guyanese-born, with five years of Providence-specific experience on a pitch built for exactly his bowling style. Pierre covers the same role — left-arm spin, similar release — but without that home-ground track record, and at 32 he’s two years older. None of Guyana’s four Right-to-Match picks went toward protecting a spinner either, which reads as either confidence that Pierre can cover the gap immediately or a real risk the squad is carrying into the season. That’s the question this squad answers over 2026: whether Guyana’s spin advantage at Providence belongs to the pitch, or to the specific bowlers who knew how to use it.
Why This Squad Can Challenge for the CPL 2026 Title
Guyana’s batting spine and finishing options — Hope, Hetmyer, Shepherd, Joseph — are all Right-to-Match retentions, the part of a T20 squad hardest to replace mid-cycle. That continuity is the strongest single argument for another deep run.
The unresolved variable is spin. Guyana has reached a final in three of the last four seasons but converted only one, and in each of those campaigns, a settled, Providence-tested spin attack was part of the formula. Whether Pierre adapts quickly to home conditions matters more to this campaign than any batting or overseas addition — it’s the swing factor between a fourth final in five years and the squad’s first group-stage exit since 2022.
Squad Analysis
Batting
Hope and Hetmyer form as settled a top order as any CPL side fields — both Right-to-Match retentions with a title campaign already behind them at this ground. The real question is depth below them: outside Kevlon Anderson and Shamarh Brooks, the middle order leans on all-rounders like Shepherd and Pretorius to cover both batting overs and bowling load, which narrows the margin if either is out of form.
Pace Bowling
Shamar Joseph is the clear frontline option. Beyond him, resources are thinner than in past seasons — Pretorius adds overseas depth, but there’s no marquee overseas quick the way some rival squads have stacked. This fits a franchise built to win through spin and death-overs specialists rather than raw pace.
Spin Department
The department in transition. Tahir remains a proven wicket-taker in the middle overs but is a season older each year, and Pierre now holds the left-arm role Motie filled for five seasons without the same home-pitch familiarity. This is the unit most likely to determine the squad’s ceiling in 2026.
All-rounders
Shepherd and Pretorius give Guyana two-way value in the middle overs and at the death. Sampson’s Breakout retention adds a domestic option in the same mould — more all-round balance on paper than most CPL sides carry into a season.
Predicted Playing XI (CPL 2026) — With Reasoning
| # | Player | Why they’re in |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shai Hope (WK) | Right-to-Match retention; 2023 Player of the Tournament; only proven top-order keeper option |
| 2 | Shimron Hetmyer | Right-to-Match retention; franchise’s most established batter, former captain |
| 3 | Rahmanullah Gurbaz | Overseas top-order power, new for 2026 |
| 4 | Romario Shepherd | Right-to-Match retention; two-way value with bat and ball |
| 5 | Mohammad Nabi | Overseas all-rounder; adds spin and lower-order hitting |
| 6 | Dwaine Pretorius | Overseas all-rounder; death-bowling and finishing option |
| 7 | Keemo Paul | Lower-middle order hitting and support seam |
| 8 | Khary Pierre | New left-arm spin option, replacing Motie |
| 9 | Shamar Joseph | Right-to-Match retention; frontline pace bowler |
| 10 | Hassan Khan | Support bowling depth |
| 11 | Imran Tahir (C) | Captain; frontline leg-spin |
This lineup keeps the title-era batting spine intact while resetting the spin attack and overseas balance around it.
Key Players to Watch
Shimron Hetmyer
Hetmyer has been Guyana’s most recognisable batter since debuting for the franchise in 2016. In 2022, he became the team’s first Guyanese-born captain since Ramnaresh Sarwan led the side in the 2013 inaugural season — a homecoming the franchise treated as overdue. He later handed the captaincy to Tahir, but remains the batting core the rest of the order is built around, and his Right-to-Match retention confirms he’s still viewed as essential heading into 2026. His left-handed power at the top of the order remains Guyana’s most direct route to fast starts on a ground that can be slow to score on early.
Shai Hope
Player of the Tournament in Guyana’s 2023 title run with 481 runs, Hope remains the squad’s only proven top-order wicketkeeper-batter. That dual role — keeping and anchoring the innings — makes him arguably the hardest player in the squad to replace like-for-like, which is why he was one of the four Right-to-Match retentions. His consistency at the top gives Hetmyer and the middle order room to play more aggressively around him.
Imran Tahir
Tahir has captained Guyana through their only CPL title (2023) and two subsequent finals (2024, 2025), leading from the front with disciplined leg-spin through the middle overs. At an advanced stage of his career relative to most CPL captains, how much bowling responsibility shifts toward Pierre and the rest of the attack is a real tactical question for the season, not just a leadership one.
Khary Pierre
The most consequential new name in the squad. Drafted from Saint Lucia Kings to replace Motie, Pierre brings a similar left-arm profile but without five years of Providence-specific experience. At 32, he’s not unproven — he’s stepping into a role that’s been central to Guyana’s identity as a franchise. How fast he reads the surface will shape this campaign more than almost any other selection call.
CPL vs Global Super League (GSL): What’s the Difference?
Guyana Amazon Warriors also compete in the Global Super League, a separate Guyana-hosted T20 tournament they won in 2025. It is not part of the CPL, and the two competitions field different squads under the same franchise name — GSL rosters have included players such as Rovman Powell, Johnson Charles, and Muhammad Haris, none of whom are part of the CPL 2026 squad covered here. If you’re specifically looking for Global Super League details, that roster is announced on its own schedule and shouldn’t be treated as interchangeable with the CPL squad above.
Strengths & Weaknesses
Strengths
- Settled, title-tested batting spine
- Genuine two-way balance from Shepherd and Pretorius
- Consistent playoff qualification record
- Deepest finals history in the competition
- Home conditions historically suited to Guyana’s bowling style
Weaknesses
- Spin attack now relies on an unproven Providence performer in Pierre
- Limited frontline overseas pace depth
- Heavy reliance on Tahir at an advanced stage of his career
- A final conversion rate of one title from eight appearances
Conclusion
Guyana Amazon Warriors enter CPL 2026 with the core of a title-winning squad still intact — Hope, Hetmyer, Shepherd, and Joseph all return via Right-to-Match — but with the one position that’s defined their home advantage now in transition. Khary Pierre’s ability to adapt to Providence’s spin-friendly surface, more than any single batting or overseas addition, will likely decide whether Guyana reaches a fourth final in five seasons or comes up short at the group stage for the first time since 2022.
With Imran Tahir’s leadership, a reshaped overseas group in Nabi and Gurbaz, and a home ground that’s rewarded this franchise more often than any other in the CPL, the Warriors remain genuine contenders — just with more riding on their newest signing than the squad sheet alone suggests.
FAQs
Who is the captain of Guyana Amazon Warriors in CPL 2026?
Imran Tahir continues as captain for the 2026 season.
Who owns Guyana Amazon Warriors?
New GPC Inc. is chaired by Dr. Ranjisinghi “Bobby” Ramroop, who has owned the franchise since 2013.
What happened to Gudakesh Motie?
He left after five seasons to join the renamed Barbados Tridents for 2026.
Who replaced Motie in the squad?
Khary Pierre, a left-arm spinner drafted from Saint Lucia Kings.
Which players did Guyana retain through Right-to-Match?
Shimron Hetmyer, Romario Shepherd, Shai Hope and Shamar Joseph.
Who is Guyana’s Breakout Player for 2026?
Quentin Sampson was retained as the pre-draft Breakout Player.
What is a Right-to-Match Option in CPL?
A mechanism allowing franchises to retain a limited number of players ahead of the open draft rather than risk losing them to another team.
Has Guyana Amazon Warriors won the CPL title before?
Yes — their only title came in 2023, beating Trinbago Knight Riders by 9 wickets at Providence Stadium.
How many CPL finals has Guyana reached?
Eight, the most of any franchise, though only one has resulted in a title.
What is the home ground of Guyana Amazon Warriors?
Providence Stadium, on the East Bank of Demerara near Georgetown, Guyana.
How does Providence Stadium’s pitch typically play?
It’s widely regarded as one of the more spin-friendly surfaces in the Caribbean, which is why Guyana has consistently prioritised quality spin bowling.
What’s the difference between the CPL squad and the Global Super League squad? They’re separate rosters for separate tournaments. This page covers the CPL 2026 squad specifically, not GSL.
Did Guyana Amazon Warriors win anything besides the CPL? Yes — the 2025 Global Super League, a separate Guyana-hosted tournament.
When does CPL 2026 start? 7 August 2026, running through 20 September.
