Brathwaite, Powell among WI stars for T20 tourney

DHAKA, Bangladesh (CMC):

Twenty20 World Cup hero Carlos Brathwaite, along with rising stars Rovman Powell and Nicholas Pooran, were among 14 West Indies players picked up in the players' draft for the Bangladesh Premier League set to bowl off here next month.

Brathwaite, who smashed four consecutive sixes off the last over in the T20 World Cup final as West Indies dramatically beat England in India last April, has gone to the Barisal Bulls, while Powell will turn out for Comilla Victorians and Pooran for new franchise Khulna Titans.

Test and one-day captain Jason Holder has also been picked up by Victorians, while superstar opener Chris Gayle has moved from Bulls to Chittagong Vikings for the coming season, which bowls off on November 4.

SOUGHT-AFTER PLAYER

The 28-year-old Brathwaite has emerged as one of the most sought-after players on the T20 circuit ever since his heroics in the T20 World Cup.

He turned out for Delhi Daredevil in the Indian Premier League and is also expected to feature in this year's Big Bash in Australia.

However, the strapping all-rounder will be unavailable for most of the BPL campaign between November 10-28.

He is currently part of the West Indies one-day and Test team in the United Arab Emirates for the series against Pakistan.

Powell, meanwhile, was part of the Windies squad for the just-concluded T20 International series against Pakistan, though he failed to make his debut in the three matches.