BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC) – Five West Indies players were scheduled to leave the Caribbean yesterday to ply their trade in the multi-million dollar Indian Premier League in India.
Windies captain Chris Gayle, all-rounders Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard, along with fast bowler Kemar Roach and batsman Adrian Barath, will all head to India to link up with their respective IPL franchises for the tournament which bowled off last week.
The five players will arrive late for international cricket’s premier Twenty20 tournament after helping the Windies beat Zimbabwe 4-1 in the recent five-match One-Day International series.
The big-hitting Gayle will be a huge boost to the Kolkata Knight Riders who have made a flying start to the tournament, winning both their matches to date but lost their clash with the Chennai Super Kings yesterday.
Gayle’s arrival, coupled with that of Shane Bond’s, will further strengthen the Knight Riders lineup that also includes former India captain Sourav Ganguly and the explosive New Zealand batsman Brendon McCullum.
Roach, who signed for a massive US$720 000, will make his debut for Deccan Chargers who have had mixed fortunes in their campaign to date, losing their opening game before rebounding to win their second.
All eyes, however, will be on the 22-year-old Pollard who was snapped up for in excess of $750 000 by the Mumbai Indians.
The right-hander, whose form was patch in the Zimbabwe series, will join countryman Bravo in a side that also includes Indian batting genius Sachin Tendulkar.
Teenager Barath will join Roach and Pollard in making his debut and will turn out for Kings Punjab XI who have lost both their games to date.
Batsman Dwayne Smith, discarded after the second ODI against Zimbabwe, will play alongside Roach for Deccan Chargers as the sixth West Indies player in the tournament.
Following the IPL, the Windies players will return to the Caribbean for the ICC World T20 Championship which bowls off April 30.