-by Tyriq Walters
Guyana Amazon Warriors assistant coach Ryan Griffith has clarified the reasons behind Gudakesh Motie’s departure from the franchise, explaining that the start of a new Caribbean Premier League draft cycle meant no player could be retained automatically.
The Warriors recently announced their locally drafted players for the 2026 CPL season, but the absence of Motie from the Guyanese franchise raised questions among supporters, especially given his consistent performances over recent seasons.
Speaking exclusively with NCN Sport, Griffith explained that all players entered the draft pool under the league’s new cycle regulations, leaving the Warriors vulnerable
“It’s a new cycle and every player were in the pool so there were no players that we could have retain,” Griffith explained.
He added that the Warriors were unable to secure Motie because the franchise did not hold the opening selection in the draft.
“Gudakesh Motie have been snuck up at the highest bid, we didn’t had the first pick so that team who had the first pick they had the opportunity to pick Gudakesh Motie,” Griffith stated.
Motie has since moved to the Barbados Tridents, while all-rounder Kemo Paul has joined the Jamaica Kingsmen as Jamaica returns to the CPL.
Griffith also revealed that the Warriors approached the draft with the intention of restructuring the squad after losing several players from the previous cycle.
“We had to structure the team… we definitely would have loss some players and we were looking to fill some gaps in terms of the top of the order and then we still have at the bottom of the order,” he said.
Despite the departures, Griffith expressed confidence in the youthful Guyanese group selected, noting that local players continue to perform strongly across regional competitions.
The full list of drafted players are Shimron Hetmyer, Romario Shepherd, Shai Hope, Shamar Joseph, Khary Pierre, Ronaldo Alimohamed, Veerasammy Permaul, Jonathan van Lange, Mavendra Dindyal, Isai Thorne, Matthew Nandu and Quentin Sampson.