Chinelle Henry to Lead Barbados Royals as Hayley Matthews Ruled Out of WCPL 2025

Barbados Royals have been dealt a major blow just ahead of their Women's Caribbean Premier League (WCPL) 2025 title defence, with captain Hayley Matthews ruled out for the entire season due to a shoulder injury.

In Matthews’ absence, experienced allrounder Chinelle Henry will take over the captaincy.

Matthews, the leading run-scorer and wicket-taker in WCPL history, has been a cornerstone of the Royals' success in previous seasons. She has amassed 424 runs at a strike rate of 113.06 and claimed 23 wickets at an economy rate of 5.79. Her performances were instrumental in the Royals' title triumphs in 2023 and 2024 — including a Player-of-the-Match effort in the 2023 final and Player-of-the-Series honours in 2024.

The Royals confirmed Matthews' injury via a post on social media platform X (formerly Twitter) but have not yet named a replacement player.

Matthews sustained the shoulder injury during West Indies’ tour of England and has opted to undergo surgery following the WCPL. She had previously pulled out of the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) after being named a pre-draft pick for Melbourne Renegades. Despite the injury, she featured in West Indies’ home series against South Africa and participated in The Hundred before confirming her decision to have surgery.

Barbados Royals open their WCPL 2025 campaign against Guyana Amazon Warriors on Sunday night.

Several emerging players — including NaiJanni Cumberbatch, Trishan Holder, and Steffie Soogrim — prepared for the tournament with a recent training stint at the Chennai Super Kings Academy in India.

Barbados Royals Squad – WCPL 2025:

Chinelle Henry (capt), Afy Fletcher, Aaliyah Alleyne, Kycia Knight, Steffie Soogrim, Shamilia Connell, Sheneta Grimmond, Qiana Joseph, Trishan Holder, NaiJanni Cumberbatch, Chamari Athapaththu, Georgia Redmayne, Courtney Webb, Shreyanka Patil