Chris Gayle available throughout this edition of BPL starting November

Windies T20 superstar Chris Gayle will be available for Rangpur Riders throughout the BPL 5 season which begins in November. Ishtiaque Sadeque, the franchise’s chief executive, has confirmed the swashbuckling opener’s presence in the upcoming season.

Originally, Gayle was signed only for the last four matches. But after the Global T20 League’s inaugural edition was pushed to 2018, which solved the issue for various foreign players signed up for both the leagues, they can now dedicate their time for the whole season of BPL.

Interestingly, the Jamaican hasn’t been available throughout the tournament in any of four seasons he played in the BPL but this year, that is about to change.

Gayle’s presence in any T20 side is much sought after and that reflects in the variety of experience he has by playing for different leagues across the world. In the BPL itself, he has played for four franchises: Barisal Burners and Dhaka Gladiators in first two editions and, Barisal Bulls and Chittagong Vikings in last two seasons.

Though the ‘Universe Boss’ had started look a little less threatening in the last one year as shown by his inconsistent performances in the IPL and PSL, he showed glimpses of the ‘Gaylestorm’ a few months back in the ODIs against England.

The 37-year-old has amassed 10571 runs in 309 T20 matches at an average of 40.5. He is the only batsman to have crossed 10,000 runs in this format and also boasts a record of 18 centuries, which is the most by any batsman.

The Rangpur Riders have also acquired the services of Sri Lanka’s bowling star Lasith Malinga for the 2017 edition. The squad includes T20 specialists Ravi Bopara, Samuel Badree, Thisara Perera as well.

Rangpur Riders squad:

Locals: Mashrafe Bin Mortaza (icon), Mohammad Mithun, Rubel Hossain, Sohag Gazi, Shahriar Nafees, Nazmul Islam Apu, Ziaur Rahman, Fazle Rabbi, Abdur Razzak, Ebadat Hossain, Elias Sunny, Nahidul Islam.

Foreigners: Chris Gayle, Ravi Bopara, David Willey, Samuel Badree, Johnson Charles, Thisara Perera, Kusal Perera, Adam Lyth, Samiullah Shenwari, Sam Haine, Zahir Khan, Lasith Malinga.