*New Delhi:* The player draft for the 2018 Hero CPL T20 Caribbean PremierLeague took place on Thursday 1st March at Gfinity eSports Arena in Londonwith many of the world’s top cricketers being selected for the tournamentthat will begin on 8th August.

Caribbean superstars Chris Gayle, Sunil Narine, Dwayne Bravo, Evin Lewis,and Lendl Simmons were picked, alongside several international iconsincluding Brendon McCullum, Sohail Tanvir, Shakib al Hasan, Martin Guptill,Hashim Amla and Shahid Afridi.

Amongst those making their CPL T20 debut include Australian all-rounderD’Arcy Short, while Jamaican star Andre Russell returns after missing CPL2017.

This year each team has a roster of 18 cricketers, with the top salary slotnetting the players US$160,000. 2018’s draft saw a record 227 overseasplayers and 121 West Indian cricketers up for selection.