Melbourne Stars rope in Caribbean sensation Nicholas Pooran for upcoming BBL 2020/21

Melbourne Stars on Thursday confirmed the signing of West Indies' left-handed batsman Nicholas Pooran for the upcoming edition of the Big Bash League (BBL).

'I'm happy': Nicholas Pooran

"The Melbourne Stars have a very strong team and I'm happy I can be part of that for a few matches this season. I'm also excited to be part of the BBL and heard many good things from Glenn Maxwell. I will keep playing my natural game for the team and hope it helps get the Stars some positive results," Pooran said in an official Melbourne Stars release.

At the same time, the Stars head coach and former Australian all-rounder David Hussey also heaped praise on the southpaw and went on to say that he would bring further firepower to the lineup.

"Nick is an impressive player with some big gears who has been in demand in the IPL, the Caribbean Premier League, and Pakistan Super League in addition to his West Indies duties for some time. I'm looking forward to having his talents on our side this season," Hussey said.

The star Windies batsman had a very good outing in the recently-concluded Dream11 IPL 2020 where he had amassed 521 runs at an average of 32 and a strike rate of 165 representing Punjab. The 2014 finalists finished the tournament at the sixth position in the points table with 12 points from 14 matches. The KL Rahul-led side ended up losing their must-win encounter against Chennai as a result of which their campaign came to an end. 

Melbourne Stars in BBL 2019/20

The Stars had an outstanding tournament where they had topped the group stages with 20 points from 20 matches. However, they ended up suffering a 19-run defeat at the hands of Sydney Sixers who won their second Big Bash League title.

READ: Big Bash League: Marcus Stoinis Extends His Stay With Melbourne Stars For Upcoming Season

BBL 2020/21 

The 10th edition of the tournament gets underway on 10 December 2020 and will conclude on 6 February 2021. Most of the matches will be D/N fixtures. Sydney Sixers will be defending their title this time around.

Hobart Hurricanes will be locking horns with the title-holders Sydney Sixers at the Blundstone Arena, Hobart on December 10. The three-time runners up will kickstart their campaign against Brisbane Heat Manuka Oval, Canberra on December 11.

READ: Sourav Ganguly Terms Hosting The T20 World Cup 2021 As A 'matter Of Great Honour'

(Image Courtesy: iplt20.com)

(With ANI Inputs)