Punjab Kings (PBKS) has suffered a major setback before their upcoming match versus Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Chris Gayle has opted to exit the bio-bubble and will be unavailable for the remainder of the competition. The reason behind this is bubble stress, and he wants to refresh before the T20 World Cup, which might also be the end of his international career.
In fact, the Universe Boss doesn’t have a good start for the 2021 IPL season and even wasn’t performed as expected in the UAE leg too. Gayle has 14 and 1 points in two outings for the Kings since the competition restarted.
Unfortunately, it appears that the restrictive bubble imposed by COVID-19 has caught up with him since the guy was also in the bubble during the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and travelled from the West Indies to the UAE in a bubble-to-bubble move.
🚨 UPDATE 🚨
Chris Gayle will not be a part of the PBKS squad for the remainder of #IPL2021! #SaddaPunjab #PunjabKings pic.twitter.com/vHfyEeMOOJ
— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) September 30, 2021
Chris Gayle is prepared to take a break from the attention in order to mentally prepare for the coming T20 World Cup. “Over the last few months, I have been a part of the CWI bubble, CPL bubble followed by the IPL bubble, and I wish to mentally recharge and refresh myself,” he said. Chris Gayle produced 193 runs in 10 games this season, while his strike rate of 125.32 was well below his projections.
Punjab must decide on who will succeed Chris Gayle in the XI
Punjab Kings must now decide who will succeed Chris Gayle in the starting XI. There is no word on whether they would name a successor given they just have 3 league games remaining and their playoff status is uncertain. Their batting choices have reduced substantially as they may have to select either Fabian Allen or Chris Jordan in the Lineup, with the remaining of the hitters pushing up in the order.
If Mayank Agarwal is unable to participate, another alternative is to keep Mandeep Singh and compete with 3 foreign players. In order to advance the lineup, which may help Aiden Markram, who is presently doing well at 4 but will have more opportunities at 3 because he is usually an opener.
#PBKS respects and supports the decision of @henrygayle.
Wishing him all the success for the upcoming #T20WorldCup!#SaddaPunjab #IPL2021 #PunjabKings https://t.co/QmTqhd8w6k
— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) September 30, 2021
