CPL 2021: Chris Gayle makes a comeback in St Kitts and Nevis Patriots; Faf du Plessis roped in by St Lucia Zouks

West Indies’ swashbuckling opening batsman Chris Gayle is all set to make his comeback to the Caribbean Premier League (CPL). The 2021 edition of CPL will kickstart from August 28 with the final to take place on September 19. The entire T20 League will be hosted at the Warner Park in St Kitts and Nevis Patriots.

Ahead of the extravaganza, Chris Gayle joined one of his old teams, St. Kitts & Nevis Patriots. Gayle sparked controversy by not participating in the previous edition of the tournament. Before the 2020 season, Gayle made an acrimonious exit from Jamaica Tallawahs and publicly blamed head coach Ramnaresh Sarwan for it.

Notably, the power-hitter was scheduled to play for  St Lucia Zouks but just a day before CPL 2020 draft, he pulled out from the tournament citing personal reasons. Gayle started his run in CPL with his home franchise Jamaica Tallawahs. The left-hander was there with the team from 2013 to 2016 and helped them win two titles. 

However, in the 2017 edition, the 41-year-old changed his franchise and joined St. Kitts & Nevis Patriots. Gayle played for two seasons for them before going back to his home franchise for the 2019 season. The opening batsman is now back with the Patriots and will be hoping for a longer run with them.

St Lucia Zouks rope in Faf du Plessis

While Chris Gayle makes a comeback to St Kitts and Nevis Patriots, St Lucia Zouks have also made a stellar deal by including former South African captain Faf du Plessis to their squad. This will be the second time that the South African batsman will feature in the Caribbean League. 

Faf was a part of the Patriots in CPL 2016 when he scored 179 runs in 10 innings at a strike rate of less than 100. The inclusion of the 36-year-old can be a masterstroke for the Zouks as Du Plessis is coming after a brilliant run with the Chennai Super Kings in the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Apart from CPL, the opening batter will also feature in the remaining matches of PSL 2021 in Abu Dhabi for Quetta Gladiators. 

We have a superstar in the house for @CPL 2021! Welcome Faf Du Plesis! #ZouksSaChaud #CricketPlayedLouder #CPL21 @faf1307 pic.twitter.com/FDFLKwyPDn

— St Lucia Zouks (@Zouksonfire) May 27, 2021