Hard-hitting Twenty20 batsman, Chris Gayle is among four West Indies stars selected for the Pakistan Super League (PSL), which starts on Feb. 20 and ends on March 22.
Gayle, 41, along with former Twenty20 Captain, Carlos Brathwaite were selected in the draft, but openers Lendl Simmons and Even Lewis were not among the 25 foreign players announced by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) last week. Gayle was selected for 2019 champions Quetta Gladiators, while Braithwaite will turn out for Multan Sultans.
White-ball specialist Chadwick Walton was taken by Karachi Kings in the Gold category, while 22-year-old emerging T20 International star, Sherfane Rutherford was selected by Peshawar Zalami in the Diamond category.
Barbados-born England all-rounder Chris Jordan is among the foreign players indicating his participation in the sixth edition of the showpiece set to run from February 20 to March 22.
Gayle, the most successful Twenty20 batsman ever with 13,584 runs and 22 centuries from all 41 matches, has been installed in the platinum category along with his West Indies counterparts and the likes of Afghan superstar spin bowler, Rashid Khan and South African fast bowler, Dayle Steyn.
In the past, Jamaican Gayle has turned out for reigning champions Karachi Kings and Lahore Qalandars, two of the six franchises which feature in the tournament, but he did not feature in the 2020 edition.
Islamabad United, Multan Sultans, Peshawar Zalmi and Quetta Gladiators make up the remainder of the teams.
The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted last year’s tournament, forcing the fixture to be halted at the end of the preliminary round in March. The tournament resumed last November with the playoffs.
