DHAKA: Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) franchise Chattogram Challengers announced on Tuesday that West Indies opener Chris Gayle will participate in the upcoming season, but in the second half of the tournament. “Chris Gayle has a hamstring niggle,” Chattogram’s managing director KM Rifatuzzaman said. “He will need a bit of time to be completely fit. He was always going to play in the BPL and even though we will not have him for the entire campaign, he will be available in the latter part,” he added. Gayle has played in every season of BPL till now and has appeared for five teams, and has played for Rangpur Riders in the last two seasons. He is the leading ton-scorer of the tournament too. Though there have been no comments made by Gayle on his participation, his agent Rudradeep Banerjee confirmed that he will travel to Bangladesh in January. “In the MSL he picked up a niggle for which his doctor has advised him rest of at least two weeks,” Banerjee said. The agent further added that Gayle will be unavailable in December. “That kind of puts him out for December. He would be free for maybe a game or two, but then to fly in to Dhaka and back to West Indies doesn’t make sense. “If he would have been fit he would have played the first leg, would have gone home on December 23 and come back again on January 4.”