NEW DELHI – Chris Gayle was rejected twice in the IPL Auction 2018 beforebeing finally bought by Kings XI Punjab. The 38-year-old, who played forKolkata Knight Riders in 2009 and 2019 and Royal Challengers Bangalore from2011-2017, went to KXIP for his base price of Rs 2 crore in the last roundof the player auction held in Bengaluru.
Gayle did not attract any bids on Saturday but the West Indian power-hitterwould have pinned his hopes on the accelerated bidding process. However,once again, there were no bids for Gayle even though his was the first nameto be called out from a list of unsold players.
But Gayle, along with a few other players, was represented again for athird time. KXIP, who had been left with Rs 2.30 crore in their kitty (outof a purse of Rs 80 crore), bid for him. By then, Rajasthan Royals were theonly other team who had any money left in their purse to bid for Gayle.However, they did not have enough to bid against KXIP.
No player has scored more IPL hundreds than Gayle’s five. In 101 matches inthe tournament, he has scored 3626 runs at an average of 41.20. His 175against Pune Warriors back in 2013 remains the highest individual score inIPL history.
It was perhaps no surprise that teams, initially, did not want to bid forGayle after Royal Challengers Bangalore decided not to retain him. At 38,Gayle is not the same player he was a few years ago.
Gayle was the Orange Cap holder for two successive seasons (in 2011 and2012) after being roped in by RCB.
Before a successful stint with the Royal Challengers, Gayle turned out forKolkata Knight Riders in 2009 and 2010 where he scored 463 runs from 16matches. Over the next eight years, Gayle showed his real class for RCB,smashing 3163 runs including five hundreds.
Gayle also boasts of the most sixes in IPL history – 265.
However, Gayle managed only 200 runs from nine matches last season with ahighest of 77.
The general lack of interest from the IPL teams this year may notnecessarily have anything to do with Gayle’s current form. He scored twoswashbuckling hundreds for Rangpur Riders in the Bangladesh Premier League.
The current IPL contract will be made out for three years and Gayle may nothave seemed lucrative enough as he approaches 40.KXIP of course thoughtotherwise and snapped him up after they had filled in their other slots.
Overall, Gayle has 20 hundreds and 67 fifties from 323 T20 matches.