Chris Gayle is one of the cricketers who can change the swing of the match as long as he is on the crease. Moreover, he is the kind of batsman that opposition wants to get rid of. It was quite surprising for every one of us as no one showed interest in Chris Gayle during the player auction of IPL 2018.
KXIP Is The Only Team That Placed Bid For Chris Gayle
In the end, Kings XI Punjab placed a bid for the blasting opener and no other team tried to outmatch their bid. To conclude, Chris Gayle was auctioned for his base price of Rs 2 Cr.
Gayle Was Also Surprised By This
In an interview with Times Of India, Chris Gayle talked about it. He said, “I’ll be honest in admitting that it was very surprising for me to not get picked by any team. I don’t know what went behind closed doors but I also understand that these things happen. It’s just the way it is. But it’s fine. I’ve moved on from it. Like I said, it’s a great opportunity to be playing for King XI Punjab (KXIP) and so far I’ve had a great time. Perhaps it was supposed to happen, you know. King Gayle; destined to be playing for Kings XI Punjab,”
The Reason RCB Did Not Retain Him
Chris Gayle failed to amaze us and RCB in the last season of IPL. Hence, RCB refused to retain the hard-hitting batsman in 2018 and they broke the 7-year contract with Gayle.
They Said They Wanted Him In Team
Gayle further told that before the auction, RCB called him telling him that they wanted him in the team. He said, “Not ‘one of’. I was their biggest draw. It was disappointing from that end because they had called me. They wanted me on the team and I was told that I will be retained. But they never called back after that. So that gave me the impression that they didn’t want me and it’s fine. As I said, I can’t fight with anyone. I think I had a wonderful CPL and BPL – where I scored two centuries for my side Rangpur Riders. The stats don’t lie 21 centuries, most number of sixes. If that doesn’t put a stamp on brand Chris Gayle, I don’t know what will.”
“My Records Speak For Themselves”
He further said, “I don’t know if I’ve actually proved them wrong. There are always going to be doubters but at the same time, I didn’t have anything to prove. My records speak for themselves. Even though I was selected in the very last round of the auction, I wasn’t really worried about it. Even if it was the end of it, there is life… a life beyond cricket, beyond the IPL. At some stage, you are going to walk away from the IPL and other forms of cricket. So I was never too intrigued. This is how I’ve always been, living in the present. But given the sense that I was picked up and playing for a new franchise, it was very pleasing. And the way I have played in the first three games, I think it has been fantastic. I’m very happy with where I’m at.”
Well, looking at Chris Gayle’s performance in this season of IPL. RCB would be regretting their decisions. What do you think? Share in the comments.
Also, check Chris Gayle’s dance video on Sapna Choudhary’s “Teri Aakhya Ka Yo Kajal”.
