The St Lucia Zouks have signed Chris Gayle as their marquee player for the 2020 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL).

Gayle has played for the Jamaica Tallawahs and St Kitts & Nevis Patriots in the past, winning the title twice with the Tallawahs and reaching the final with the Patriots in 2017. 

The Jamaican is the leading T20 run scorer of all time with 13 296 runs and holds the most centuries, 22, in the format. He is also the leading CPL run scorer of all time, having made 2 344 runs at the tournament. 

The announcement comes one day after the franchise announced that Daren Sammy was returning to captain the 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 said.

“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 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. Welcome home Chris Gayle!”

Coach Andy Flower also welcomed the addition.

“It’s brilliant news that we have been able to get Chris Gayle with us at this year’s CPL 2020. 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 closely and are liaising with medical advisors and governments.