5 West Indies legends who need the CPL to come back

The Caribbean Premier League promises something for everybody. For fans, it offers the perfect T20 entertainment spiced up with big sixes and wild celebrations. For the administrators, it is their only hope of rekindling the passion of cricket in the island nations and making money and for youngsters, it is a platform to showcase their talent.

This cricketing carnival also provides a golden opportunity for veteran cricketers who have lost their place in the national team. Valuable contributions in this tournament can have a massive impact and for several players, this league is an ideal chance to prove their mettle.

We look at the five top players who can alter their fates by performing well in this CPL.

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#5. Lendl Simmons

Lendl Simmons single handedly sent India packing in the 2016 T20 world cup with his sterling 82* in the semi-finals. That night, the world witnessed the batting capabilities of Simmons and he earned the reputation of being a big match player.

However, in the next 10 T20I innings he has reached the triple figures only thrice with the highest score of 19. Courtesy of these consistent low scores he has lost his place from the national team.

Simmons also had a poor run in IPL 2017 where he scored 137 runs in seven innings out of which 66 were produced in one only inning.

The West Indies team management still hasn't moved on with Simmons and hence a responsible batting performance in this CPL could result in his comeback in the national team.

#4. Marlon Samuels

Samuels can be a game-changer - but he will need to deliver in the CPL to prove it

Marlon Samuels bats with a strike rate of 115.61 in T20I. In a format which is specially designed to allow batsmen to hit the ball long and far, this strike rate looks unimpressive.

Samuels also doesn't possess a wide array of strokes or an impeccable technique but even after all these flaws, he is undoubtedly one of the best impact players in this format. His two match-winning half centuries in T20 world cup finals are evident of his batting prowess.

But more than his technical flaws, what has hampered the right-hand batsman's career is his inconsistency. Since his sterling knock of 89* at Eden Gardens, Kolkata on the night of T20 world cup final, Samuels has scored only one fifty-plus score in his next 13 T20I innings.

At the moment he still is part of West Indies' national team but his future looks gloomy thanks to his poor performances in the last one year and the rise of other power-hitters in West Indies.

This edition of CPL is a huge opportunity for the right-hand batsman to come back in form and consolidate his position in the team. On the contrary, a poor run in this league might see him out of the national team.

#3. Ravi Rampaul

Rampaul can still make it to West Indies' national team

The skiddy pace and accurate line and lengths make Ravi Rampaul a serious bowling threat. On his day, he can wreck batting lineups in no time and is effective for bowling in the death overs courtesy of his smart pace variations.

However inconsistent performances, frequent injuries and lack of support from the team management has ensured that Rampaul has spent the last couple of years away from the national team. His last T20I was in 2015 against Sri Lanka.

But looking at the quality of West Indies' current bowling artillery, the left-arm pacer still has genuine chances of making a comeback. What he needs is a spectacular bowling performance in this year's CPL.

The 32-year old bowler still has plenty of cricket left in him and in this year's CPL he is the spearhead of Barabods Tridents' bowling department. A good show for Tridents could open the gates of the national team for him.

#2. Chris Gayle

The tall batsman will hope to unleash another 'Gayle Storm' here at the CPL

He is the highest run scorer in T20s across the world and has also hit the most number of sixes in T20s, but for West Indies cricket board, Chris Gayle is not their first choice opener.

The left-hand batsman whose batting heroics and his love affair with monstrous sixes are well-known is currently out of the West Indies' national team courtesy of his stern relations with the board and also due to his year long bad patch.

In the 2016 edition of Bangladesh Premier League, he scored 109 runs in five innings at an average of 21.80. In 2017, in IPL, he averaged 22.22, his lowest in all seasons and scored only one fifty in nine innings.

After featuring in West Indies' successful world cup campaign in 2016, the opening batsman was out of the West Indies' national team for more than a year and staged a comeback in July 2017 against India in the one off T20.

It was a forgettable comeback as he scored only 18 runs from 20 balls in that match and this scratchy inning may result in his omission from the team.

Thus, the biggest entertainer of the T20 format is featuring in the CPL 2017 with his career at the stake. In the last one year, he hasn't scored runs in T20 leagues and is also out of his national team. So, this CPL would prove to be a huge moment in Gayle's T20 career. With strong performances, he can reestablish the fear he once inflicted in the minds of bowlers but at the same time, a mediocre season would only add to his worries.

#1. Darren Sammy

Sammy won two world cups but at the moment is sidelined from the team

Darren Sammy has won two T20 world-cups and has a cricket stadium named after him. He is by a fair margin the most successful T20 captain. But at the moment he is not even a part of West Indies' T20 squad.

The 33-year-old West Indies is an effective all-rounder but so far hasn't made any significant impact in this format with bat or ball. His major contribution during his playing days was his leadership skills. He featured in 66 T20 international innings but has faced only 7.2 balls per inning and has picked up 44 wickets at a strike rate of 20.

In this year's CPL, Sammy is captaining the St. Lucia Stars team who has a strong squad with a fine balance of local talent and overseas firepower. Hence, an inspired performance by the Stars in this edition's CPL could well pave the way for Sammy's comeback in the national team.