The competition will be played from October 8 to 24, and will involve the six traditional teams - Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, Leeward Islands, Trinidad and Tobago and Windward Islands.

Roger Brathwaite, chief executive of the West Indies Cricket Board, revealed that the new format would allow the limited-overs competition to be contested by the strongest teams possible.

“This hopefully will ensure more competitive cricket of a higher standard as well as an increase in the number of matches available to the players as we build to the ICC World Cup 2007,” he said.

“In the previous format, the teams reaching the final would have played a maximum of six matches only. Now the minimum number of games for any team is 10.”

The preliminary rounds will take place on a round-robin basis with the first round of matches all played in one country, and the second round in another.

The top four teams then move on to the Final Four Weekend that will take place at a third venue, where the semifinals and the final will be played over four days.

Last season, 10 teams took part in two zones with the top two in each zone going through to the semifinals. Guyana emerged as champions.

In all 23 matches were played last year in Antigua and Jamaica, but under the new format 33 matches will now be played.

The four teams omitted from last season’s competition are Antigua & Barbuda, Canada, the University of the West Indies, and Young West Indies.