"It is with a heavy heart that my time with the Tallawahs has come to an end," Powell posted on Instagram. "I have made life-long friends and memories I will never forget. Not least winning two CPL titles for my home franchise, one of those as CAPTAIN, which I will always cherish.

"I'm looking forward to joining the Royals and beginning a new chapter of my CPL career. I would like to thank all the players and coaches who have been part of my Tallawahs journey these last few years. Most of all, I want to thank the Jamaican fans, for your support."

Gayle had said he had always wanted to end his career in the "uniform" of Jamaica, his home team, but that dream now appears to be over, and Gayle laid the blame primarily on Sarwan, who he called various things, including "snake", "vindictive", "despicable".

For the third consecutive year, the CPL will overlap with the Hundred, the 100-balls-a-side competition in England that runs from August 1 to August 27 this year. At this stage, Sunil Narine is the only West Indian men's player who will be involved in both competitions; he is expected to play around five games for Oval Invincibles before leaving for the CPL.