Flamboyant Caribbean all-rounder Andre Russell has been retained by Jamaica Tallawahs for the upcoming edition of the Caribbean Premier League. Along with Carlos Brathwaite, another hard-hitting all-rounder, Russell is among the seven players who were retained by the franchise ahead of the 9th edition of the tournament.
Barring the big retentions, Tallawahs have also retained the likes of Rovman Powell, Chadwick Walton and veteran fast bowler Fidel Edwards who made a return to CPL only last year.
Despite Russell being a powerhouse in T20 cricket, the retention of the allrounder comes as a little bit of a shocker considering he had called the Tallawahs the weirdest franchise in the CPL he has been part of. He also conceded that 2020 was the last time he was plying his trade for the franchise.
"I felt like a first-class player that just made his debut one game ago. 'Your opinion is not valuable'. That's how I was treated. Even when I ask questions: 'who you guys planning on retaining? Who are you guys planning on buying'? I don't get any answers. So, I just leave it." Russell had said in April last year talking about his future in CPL.
Russell wasn't alone in his assault. Former Tallawahs star Chris Gayle had launched a verbal assault against the franchise, calling the then assistant coach Ramnaresh Sarwan a "snake" amongst other things.
Left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul and Ryan Persaud were brought back into the team. "The Tallawahs have 10 spots to fill to complete their squad and these will be announced in the coming weeks," the official CPL Twitter handle wrote. Meanwhile, St Kitts and Nevis Patriots will be bolstered by the inclusion of Dwayne Bravo who has been traded from the Trinbago Knight Riders.
The 9th edition of the CPL is slated to kick off on 28th August with the final slated to be played on 19th September. All 33 matches will take place at Warner Park in St Kitts and Nevis.