Image courtesy of: London Evening Standard
Muralitharan has taken more wickets than any other bowler in the history of the game
Former Sri Lanka spin maestro Muttiah Muralitharan has become the sixth international powerhouse to sign up for the inaugural Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and will join other superstars such as ex-Australia captain Ricky Ponting and his long-time teammate Adam Gilchrist, New Zealand’s Ross Taylor, South Africa’s Herschelle Gibbs and Pakistan Twenty20 skipper Mohammad Hafeez.
Muralitharan, who has taken more wickets than any other bowler in the history of the game, with 1,347 victims across all three formats, will represent one of the six franchises during the tournament, which is scheduled to run between July 29 and August 26.
The six Caribbean nation franchises are Antigua & Barbuda, Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, St. Lucia and Trinidad & Tobago.
“I am really looking forward to playing in the first ever CPL — it is going to be a fantastic spectacle for fans and a great experience for all players involved,” Muralitharan said. “I am good friends with a number of the West Indian players, especially Chris Gayle as we play together in IPL, and having the chance to play on a team with guys competing in their home countries will be fantastic for me. I am also excited that there will be so many young West Indian players involved in the tournament and I hope to pass on some of my cricketing experiences as the tournament progresses. I can’t wait for it to get started!”
The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) also recently confirmed the six local iconic players that will be allocated to one of the franchises, and they are Dwayne Bravo, Chris Gayle, Sunil Narine, Kieron Pollard, Darren Sammy and Marlon Samuels.
According to the WICB, 90 players will receive contracts and each franchise will be allowed a maximum of 15 players on their roster.
Whilst playing, each team will also be required to have four players under the age of 23 on the pitch at all times and can also have up to four international players on the field at any point in time.