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Chris Gayle will represent Saint Lucia Zouks in the 2020 season of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), after Jamaica Tallawahs decided not to retain him.
In February, the St. Lucia franchise was purchased by KPH Dream Cricket Private Limited, the parent company of Kings XI Punjab, and appointed Andy Flower as head coach. Gayle currently plays for Kings XI at the IPL.
Gayle played for the Tallawahs in the first four CPL seasons, before spending the next two years with St Kitts and Nevis Patriots. He rejoined the Tallawahs last season and made 116 in his second game, but ended the season with 243 runs in ten innings when the franchise ended at the bottom of the table.
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Saint Lucia was the other team that was knocked out in the group stage last season. Daren Sammy was also held and confirmed yesterday that he was the captain of the franchise.
Gayle, 40, is the top scorer in T20 history. He has denied withdrawing from ODI, but has not been selected for the West Indies since last year’s World Cup. Earlier this year, he suggested that he could continue playing until he was 45.
“This is great news for Saint Lucia Zouks and for me, as a captain, to have the ‘Chief of the Universe’ on my side,” said Sammy. “Chris is one of the most successful T20 hitters in the world and with his experience with our young starters, you can learn a lot from Chris.”
“I welcome him to the Zouks franchise. Chris will be in Saint Lucia and the fans will be happy that Jamaica has released him. I will have Chris Gayle motivated looking to prove that he is one of the best T20 hitters in the world. I can’t wait. for CPL 2020 and I hope the coronavirus is under control and we can have an exciting T20 tournament. “
From one legend to another!
A scale of how excited are you to see the #UniverseBoss playing for us next season? # CPL20 #ZouksOnFire #BiggestPartyinSport #CricketPlayedLouder @ darensammy88 @henrygayle pic.twitter.com/hh4Tq9kclp
– Saint Lucia Zouks (@Zouksonfire) April 22, 2020
“It is great news that we were able to bring Chris Gayle with us at this year’s CPL 2020,” said Flower. “I have a long association with Chris running since his Test Test debut in Trinidad in 2000. I have seen his exploits in all three forms of the game and am looking forward to working with him and Daren Sammy towards a special year for St. Lucia’s cricket. “
Currently, the CPL is scheduled to take place between August 19 and September 26, but organizers are making contingency plans due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The tournament may be played behind closed doors or without foreign players, or may be delayed until December.
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