The Universal Boss, Chris Gayle was on his way to being unsold, before KXIP swooped in and roped in the legendary West Indian during the last hour of the IPL auction last week.
At a base price of Rs 2 crores, Gayle was hoping to get one last big payday in the IPL. But his lack of consistency coupled with his increasing frequency of injuries made him a risky buy, as franchises preferred to ignore the great man.
Fortunately for Gayle, KXIP bought him just when everyone thought that they would not see the great Jamaican again in the IPL. It was not an easy decision for Kings XI though, as they knew that it was a big risk to buy Gayle.
But after much deliberation, they decided to give Gayle a chance to prove himself again, as they added him to the power packed KXIP side.
While there is no doubt that Gayle is at the fag end of his magnificent career, the big man can still win you a couple of matches in course of the tournament. Also his immense experience could aide the youngsters, as Gayle would be a great addition to have in the dressing room.
Virender Sehwag, director of Kings XI Punjab, had this to say about the last-minute purchase of Chris Gayle.
“Simply having him (Gayle) in your side means a lot. Being an opening batsman, Gayle can prove to be a danger to any opposition. Gayle’s brand value speaks for himself and how effective he is in this format. We decided to bring in Gayle as a backup option for the opening slots,” quoted Virender Sehwag.
After having spent Rs 11 crores on KL Rahul, KXIP will surely want the Karnataka batsman to open the innings along with Aussie veteran, Aaron Finch.
But Gayle could act as a wonderful back-up option, as the big man’s presence alone could lift the entire dressing room.
With Rahul, Gayle, Finch, Yuvraj and Miller in their side, KXIP possesses one of the most destructive batting line-ups in the league, and will hope that they could fire them to their first ever IPL trophy.
