Russell bringing ‘big guns’ to CPL

Jamaica Tallawahs all-rounder Andre Russell is eager for the start of this season’s Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) as the man now dubbed ‘Dangerruss’ is set to unveil his new bats provided by kit sponsor Sareen Sports industries.

Russell, in an Instagram post, thanked Sareen Sports for his new bats, which he has already named ‘Gun’, ‘Shotgun’ and ‘Rifle’.

This will be the seventh straight season in the CPL with the Jamaica Tallawahs and the swashbuckling all-rounder will be looking to add to his 1,109 runs in his 57 matches to date.

The man who was once called ‘Superman’ by fans, will no doubt be one of the talismans for the Tallawahs this season, and he is itching to get out on the park to try out his new weapons.

“I just want to say a big thanks to SS for these amazing willows. I can’t wait to hit the pitch to see how far I can hit some big ones,” Russell said in an Instagram video post.

The 32-year-old two-time world Twenty20 champion has been known for his six-hitting in the shortest format of the game. The CPL has been a happy hunting ground for the St Catherine CC player, who has smashed 87 maximums at a strike rate of 181.2.

Russell and the Tallawahs will be in action on Wednesday, when they take on the St Lucia Zouks at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Trinidad, starting at 10 a.m. local time.

There has also been a change in time for all weekend afternoon games in the CPL, as they will now start at 2:15 p.m. local time.

The 33-match season will be played in Trinidad and Tobago, with all matches taking place across two stadiums in that country. The Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba will host 23 games, including the semi-finals and final, and the Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain will have 10 matches.