Chris Gayle made a statement in his first appearance for Kings XI Punjab in the ongoing season of the Indian Premier League 2020 when he scored a half century. The left-handed batsman was not included in KXIP’s Playing XI until now, and the side had suffered 6 defeats in 7 games. But with Gayle’s contribution with the bat, KXIP won the contest to get their 2nd win of the season.
To persist with the successful opening pair of KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal, KXIP had pushed the ‘Universal Boss’ down the batting order at no. 3 and it was a tough call that worked out for the team.
On being asked about Gayle batting at no. 3 after the win, KXIP captain Chris Gayle said that the former West Indies captain has taken this as a challenge.
“Wherever he bats, he’s dangerous. He’s taken it up as a challenge as well. He’ll still be intimidating,” Rahul said. The right-handed batsman further said that not playing Gayle was a tough call, but added that it kept ‘the lion’ hungry.
“He’s (Gayle) not been feeling well in the last couple of weeks. But, he is hungry even at 41. He always wanted to play from the first day. He was training hard, he wanted be out on the park. It was a tough call to make and not make him play. It’s important to keep the lion hungry,” Rahul said.
Speaking on the win, Rahul further said: “There are ups and downs and this has been the roller-coaster. We wanted this win to get some confidence in the group. It’s my first time as captain, for me it’s always about winning. The personal performances haven’t been on mind too much.”
KXIP will next face off against the defending champions Mumbai Indians on Sunday.
