Barbados Tridents, one of the seven teams, went to pick England batsman Alex Hales for the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2019. He was the first pick at the CPL 2019 draft in London on 22 May at the Gfinity eSports Arena. Meanwhile, the Sri Lankan seamers Lasith Malinga and Isuru Udana were among the other highest buys of the league.
After recreational drug test failure, ECB has withdrawn Hales from England’s World Cup squad. Tridents took up the opportunity and picked him in their squad. It is Hales’ maiden stint at the CPL 2019.
Pakistan’s allrounders Asif Ali and Imad Wasim were among the other players picked by the Tridents whereas, the team retained Jason Holder, Wahab Riaz, Shai Hope and Ashley Nurse. Also, Holder is their marquee player.
Lasith Malinga Picked By St Lucia Stars
Meanwhile, St Lucia picked the Sri Lankan pacer Malinga along with Fawad Ahmed. Ahmed moved from defending champions Trinbago Knight Riders after being 2018 CPL’s highest wicket-taker. Ahmed will be St Lucia Stars’ marquee player for the season.
Thisara Perera and John Campbell were among the other players signed by the team.
Meanwhile, Trinbago Knight Riders decided to retain Dwayne Bravo in the first round of the auction. Whereas, Kieron Pollard moved back to his home team TNR with a high profile attached to his resume.
The 2018 CPL’s lead scorer, Colin Munro is retained alongside Sunil Narine and Ali Khan by the team.
Chris Gayle Returns as Marquee Face for the Tallawahs
Jamaica Tallawah retained Andre Russell while naming Chris Gayle as their marquee player for the team. The franchise retained Glenn Phillips, Oshane Thomas and Rovman Powell. Chadwick Walton and Afghanistani sensation Zahir Khan were among the other top picks by the team.
The Patriots picked the Sri Lankan pacer Isuru Udana in the first round of the CPL draft. They retained Evin Lewis, Carlos Brathwaite, Sheldon Cottrell, Fabien Allen and South Africa’s Rassie van der Dussen respectively. Laurie Evans has his breakthrough during a sixth-round by the team.
The Guyana Amazon Warriors picked Pakistan leg-spinner, Shadab Khan. The team retained Keemo Paul, Shimron Hetmyer, Sherfane Rutherford and Shoaib Malik. The Warriors acquired Nicholas Pooran as their marquee player.
The seventh season of the Caribbean Premier League was to be held during the early August this year. But now is postponed to 4th September 2019 to avoid clashing with India’s tour to West Indies.
Each of the seven completed teams is made up of 17 squad members comprising a maximum of five overseas players and an ICC Americas player.