‘Gayle will strengthen our title aspirations’

St Lucia Zouks captain Daren Sammy could not hold back his excitement of having the 'Universe Boss' Chris Gayle as part of his team for this year's Caribbean Premier League (CPL).

Immediately after the organisers sent out a press release confirming the move, Sammy took to the St Lucia Zouks social media Twitter page to celebrate the news that the most devastating T20 player in the world will be joining his franchise.

"I am so excited to have the Universe Boss in St Lucia, he is one of the most successful T20 batsmen, and knowing Chris and with everything that went down in Jamaica, I will have a motivated Chris Gayle coming to St Lucia," said Sammy.

The St Lucia Zouks have signed 40-year-old Gayle as their marquee player after the Jamaica Tallawahs opted not to retain their former captain. The latest move will see the batting titan representing his third CPL franchise, having played for the Jamaica Tallawahs and St Kitts & Nevis Patriots in the past.

Gayle has won the CPL title twice with the Tallawahs and played in the final with the Patriots in 2017.

The swashbuckling left-hander is the leading T20 runscorer of all time, as well as the man with the most centuries in the format. He is also the leading CPL runscorer of all time, having made 2,344 runs at the tournament.

Following a below-par performance for the Tallawahs last season, Sammy believes that the Universe Boss will have a point to prove to his detractors that the ageing star is still one of the hottest properties in the game.

"A motivated Chris Gayle is unstoppable, he is still willing (at his age) to show he is one of, if not the best T20 batsman in the world, so I know what I am going to be getting," added Sammy.

Having got to the play-offs only once back in 2016, Sammy believes this year could be the year that St Lucia bring home the trophy.

"Chris Gayle will strengthen our aspirations of bringing silverware to St Lucia, something that has eluded us in all the seasons, this year we are definitely looking to win the competition," Sammy said.