IPL 2020: Chris Gayle was set to be part of the playing XI but went down with stomach bug, says Anil Kumble
Kings XI Punjab head coach Anil Kumble has revealed that Chris Gayle was set to be a part of their playing XI against the Sunrisers Hyderabad on Thursday, but had to be sidelined at the last moment due to a stomach bug.
Kumble was speaking to the host broadcasters during the match against SRH when he disclosed the detail.
“Gayle was set to play against SRH but he is down with food poisoning,” said Kumble.
There have been a lot of questions in cricketing circles and on social media regarding Chris Gayle, as the Jamaican has not yet played in IPL 2020.
Should KXIP bring back Chris Gayle into the starting lineup?
However, KXIP batsman Mayank Agarwal said that Gayle has been sharing his experience and helping the batsmen in the squad despite not being part of the starting XI yet. While speaking to ANI, Agarwal reiterated that the 41-year-old is an integral part of the KXIP set-up whether it comes to playing or mentoring.
“Gayle is an integral part of KXIP whether playing or mentoring. He has been speaking to all of us, contributing in the batter’s meeting and also sharing stuff which is crucial. I have had great conversations with Gayle. We first played together in RCB and just watching him play and chatting is fantastic," Agarwal said.
Chris Gayle is a legend when it comes to T20 cricket
When it comes to batting records in T20 cricket, Gayle is hard to match. He has been playing in T20 leagues all around the world and has scored 13296 runs and hit 978 sixes. Fellow West Indian Kieron Pollard sits at a distant second position on the list with 10370 runs and 685 sixes.
The Jamaican has hit the most number of sixes in IPL history as well, having smashed 326 maximums from just 125 matches. The second player on the list, AB de Villiers, is once again quite far behind with 219 sixes from 159 matches.
In the 2019 edition of the IPL, Chris Gayle had scored 490 runs from 13 matches at an average of 40.83 and strike rate of 153.60.