Chris Gayle joins IPL party with smashing fifty on Kings XI Punjab debut

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  • The likes of Chris Gayle could be affected by the move. Image - IPL/Twitter.

    Chris Gayle had a point to prove as took guard against Chennai Super Kings at Mohali on Sunday.

    Now a part of Kings XI Pujab, Gayle had suffered the ignominy of going unsold initially in the IPL auction after not being retained by the Royal Challengers Bangalore where he had been a fan favourite for several years.

    After missing out on the playing XI in the opening two matches, the Jamaican was unleashed against the MS Dhoni led Super Kings as he made his debut for the Mohali-based franchise.

    Starting cautiously but in control, Gayle took his time to get going. It was in the fourth over of Punjab’s innings that the left-hander burst into life as he tore into Harbhajan Singh’s off-spin.

    Smashing a six and a boundary off Harbhajan’s first two deliveries, the West Indies man found his rhythm as the warning bells began ringing for the visitors.

    From that point on, there was no looking back as Gayle made full use of his brute force and impeccable timing to cash in on the power-play overs.

    The 38-year-old brought up his fifty in just 22 balls in the seventh over of the innings. By the time he hoisted South African leg-spinner Imran Tahir for a massive six in the final delivery of the seventh over, Kings XI Punjab had scored 92 runs.

    In the end, Gayle fell for 63 (33) after miscuing a pull off Shane Watson but his 96-run opening stand with KL Rahul had done enough damage to Chennai.

    It was a fitting franchise debut for Gayle and it will have a few Royal Challengers Bangalore fans scratching their heads wondering why the ‘entertainer’ wasn’t retained. For now, Bengaluru’s loss is Mohali’s gain.

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