Chris Gayle joins St Lucia Zouks for CPL 2020

St. Lucia, April 23: Swashbuckling West Indies batsman Chris Gayle has been signed by St Lucia Zouks as their marquee player for the 2020 edition of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL).

Gayle has played for the Jamaica Tallawahs and St Kitts & Nevis Patriots in the past. He has won the CPL title twice with the Tallawahs and played in the final with the Patriots in 2017.

The left-handed bastman is the leading T20 run scorer of all time as well as the man with the most centuries in the format. He is also the leading CPL run scorer of all time, having made 2,344 runs at the tournament.

Commenting on Gayle arriving at the Zouks, newly appointed captain Daren Sammy said: "Chris is one of the most successful T20 batsmen in the world and with his experience with our young openers, a lot can be learnt from Chris.

"I will have a motivated Chris Gayle looking to prove a point that he is one of the leading T20 batsmen in the world. I can't wait for CPL 2020 and hopefully the coronavirus will be under control and we can have an exciting T20 tournament."

Coach Andy Flower also said: "I have got a long association with Chris running all the way back to his debut Test match in Trinidad back in 2000. I've seen his exploits in all three forms of the game and I am really looking forward to working with him and Daren Sammy toward a special year for St Lucia cricket."

The CPL is scheduled to take place between August 19 and September 26 but the tournament organisers are currently watching the current situation with COVID-19 pandemic wreaking havoc across the world.