Chris Gayle of the West Indies has opted out of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2022 in order to concentrate on the T10 tournament, “6ixty.” s, 6ixty will take place from August 24 to 28—right before the CPL season in St Kitts. 

After their ODI series against New Zealand ends on August 21, West Indies players will be available for the league. Gayle will serve as an ambassador for the 6ixty. The competition is also expected to draw several players from abroad, however, some will not be able to participate because of a clash with the end of group rounds of the Hundred.

“I am going for the shorter format this year. I am genuinely excited about the current innovations in the 6ixty and seeing how they play out. In particular, I am looking forward to the mystery team ball and hitting two sixes in the first 12 balls to unlock the third powerplay over,” Gayle told to ESPN.

This year, the Sixty will run for the first time from August 24 to August 28 right before the start of the new CPL season, with participation from three women’s teams and six men’s CPL teams.

It is the most recent in a string of initiatives taken by governing bodies and cricket authorities throughout the world to increase interest in the sport and bring in more money.

The 6ixty’s fascinating rules give the game an even more unusual edge over any other league. Here they are:

  • Only the first two overs of an inning will be subject to powerplay fielding restrictions, and each team will only be allowed six wickets.
  • The batting side will be allowed to initiate a second powerplay over at any point up until the last over of the innings, provided that they knock two sixes in the first 12 balls.
  • The idea of switching ends between overs, which continue to be six balls long, has been eliminated. 30 deliveries will be bowled by each team from one end, followed by 30 more from the other.
  • Additionally, a fielder will be dropped for the final over of the innings if a bowling side’s over rate lags and an allocation is not finished in 45 minutes. However, the largest change from previous cricket competitions is the audience vote for a random free hit.

 The 6ixty is yet to know how the audience receives it. Chris Gayle is definitely a great ambassador of the league as he has dominated shorter formats for a long time. Let’s see how the 42 year old performs this year.