Chris Gayle, who played for Jamaica Tallawahs in the previous four editions of the Caribbean Premier League, will ply his trade for St Kitts & Nevis Patriots in the upcoming season of the T20 league.

One of the finest players of the shortest format of the game, Gayle played an integral part in helping the Jamaica-based outfit clinch their second title this year by scoring 425 runs. He had previously led them to the title in the inaugural edition of the CPL in 2013. With 1452 runs in 43 matches, Gayle is the highest run-getter for Jamaica Tallawahs.

Expressing his delight over the move, the West Indies star said:“I am a proud Jamaican and I loved representing the Tallawahs.I would like to thank the owners and management who have been brilliant to work with, my team-mates who always gave me 100% support, and of course the Jamaican fans who made Sabina Park such a special home ground for me.

“Moving to St. Kitts is a move which hugely excites me at this time. As with all franchise leagues, there is always the opportunity to move from one team to another and I am looking forwards to joining the Patriots for the upcoming season,” added the Twenty20 talisman,” he added.

Uday Nayak, co-owner & team principal of the St Kitts & Nevis Patriots, also sounded pleased after securing the services of one of the finest players in the history of the tournament.

Nayak said:“Chris’s record is phenomenal, not just in the West Indies, but across the cricketing world. He has a reputation that is revered everywhere and is the kind of player who will drive our team forward. This is one of the biggest transfers in Hero CPL history and I know from speaking with Chris that he is motivated to do well for his new franchise. Success has followed Chris throughout his career and we as owners will give him and the team our full support to achieve similar success for the Patriots in 2017.”