Gayle switches from Tallawahs to Patriots for 2017 CPL

Christopher Gayle will not play for the Jamaica Tallawahs in the 2017 season of the Caribbean Premier League T20 tournament.

Instead, the hard-hitting left hander will turn out for the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots who announced his acquisition on Thursday.

The 37 year old Gayle captained the Tallawahs in the first four seasons of the CPL, winning two titles in 2013 and earlier this year.

Commenting on the transfer, Gayle says he is happy for what he achieved with the Tallawahs and  is looking forward to taking a fresh guard with the Patriots.

He added that it's a move which hugely excites him at this time as with all franchise leagues, there is the opportunity to move from one team to another.

Uday Nayak, a co-owner of the Patriots lauded the professionalism showed by the Tallawahs owners in facilitating Gayle's move.

"I had a conversation with Chris at the end of the season and Chris indicated to me that he wanted to explore a couple options and specifically explore St Kitts, because his daughter is there; his partner is there and as you know Chris is very close to his family," said Mohammad Khan, General Manager of the Tallawahs.