West Indies swashbuckling batsman Chris Gayle has been roped in by St Lucia Zouks as the marquee player for the 2020 edition of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL).


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The move came after the 40-year-old was released by Jamaica Tallawahs, for whom Gayle had won the CPL title twice.


Reflecting on the same, Zouks captain Darren Sammy said that Gayle is one of the most successful T20I batsman in the world and it is great to have 'the universe boss' on their side.


“This is great news for St Lucia Zouks and for me as a captain to have the universe boss on my side. 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," Sammy was quoted as saying in a press release.


"I welcome him to the Zouks Franchise. Chris will be in St Lucia and the fans will be happy that Jamaica has released him. I will have a motivated 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. Welcome home Chris Gayle!," he added.


Gayle, who has played for the Jamaica Tallawahs and St Kitts & Nevis Patriots in the past, is the leading T20 run scorer of all time and the man with the most centuries in the shortest format of the game. The Caribbean cricketer is also the leading run scorer of all time in the CPL, having notched up a total of 2,344 runs in the tournament. 


The CPL is slated to be held from August 19 to September 26 but the tournament organisers are currently monitoring the situation amid coronavirus pandemic.