Chris Gayle opts out of CPL 2020 owing to personal reasons

Chris Gayle has opted out of the 2020 CPL a day before the players' draft is scheduled to take place on June 24. The tournament this year is scheduled to take place in Trinidad & Tobago from August 18 until September 10 subject to permission from the local government.

Gayle's decision was confirmed by St Lucia Zouks, the franchise he was going to play for in this CPL, saying he would not be available to play due to personal reasons.

Gayle signed up with Zouks in April after an acrimonious fallout with Jamaica Tallawahs, where he had returned in 2019 for a second stint. The Zouks would have been the third team Gayle would represent in the CPL after two stints with Tallawahs (2013-16 and 2019) and a two-year stay with St Kitts and Nevis (2017-18).

The Zouks franchise saw a change in ownership this February after it was bought by KPH Dream Cricket Private Limited, which also owns Kings XI Punjab in the IPL. The franchise also made changes to the coaching staff, appointing former Zimbabwe captain Andy Flower as the head coach.

It is not clear whether Gayle's decision was influenced by the pay cut proposed by the CPL in the wake of the pandemic. In an update he sent recently to all stakeholders, the CPL operations manager Michael Hall said top-earning players would be asked to take a pay cut of up to 30% compared to the 2019 contract. In Gayle's case, he would have received about $112,000 after the 30% proposed cut from the Zouks.

It is understood that players and staff from all the six franchises have accepted the pay cuts although the CPL has not sent out any details.