The Universe Boss, Chris Gayle, dropped a massive revelation about his stint with the Punjab Kings (formerly Kings XI Punjab) in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Though Gayle remains an icon in T20 cricket, he claimed to have been ‘disrespected’ by the Punjab Kings, to the extent that he felt as if he was going into depression. Gayle featured for the Kings from 2018 to 2021, primarily as an opening batter. During his time with the team, he played a total of 41 matches, scoring a total of 1,304 runs at an average of 40.75 and a strike rate of 148.65.
His performance included one century and eleven half-centuries, with his highest score being an unbeaten 104. Yet, his memories of playing for the franchise were quite bitter.
“My IPL ended prematurely with Punjab. I was disrespected at Kings XI. I felt I wasn’t treated properly as a senior who had done so much for the league and brought value. They treated me like a kid. For the first time in my life, I felt like getting into depression. I broke down talking to Anil Kumble because I was really hurt. I was disappointed with him and the way the franchise was run,” Gayle said in a chat with Shubhankar Mishra on the latter’s podcast.
Chris Gayle Opens Up | How Punjab Kings Disrespected Him#Chrisgayle #IPL #PunjabKings pic.twitter.com/dlTQDITh1u
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Gayle even revealed that when KL Rahul, former Punjab Kings captain, called him on the phone and assured him of a spot in the playing XI in the next game, he just thanked him and walked off.
“KL Rahul even called me saying, ‘Chris, stay, you’ll play the next game’. But I just said, ‘I wish you all the best’, and packed my bag, and walked out”.
Gayle has featured for multiple franchises in the IPL, including Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bengaluru. His emotions towards PBKS can be understood considering that of all the franchises, it’s the Punjab side he has scored the most runs.
In his career, Gayle scored a total of 797 runs in 16 innings against the Punjab Kings in the IPL.