West Indies legend Chris Gayle put on a brilliant performance in Jodhpur as he shone at the top of the batting order for the Gujarat Giants in the ongoing Legends League Cricket (LLC) 2022 against Bhilwara Kings on Friday, September 30. Gayle, who was loved by fans for his aggressive batting during his time in the Indian Premier League (IPL), took a trip down memory lane, hitting 68 from just 40 balls.
Gayle has had a subpar tournament. He struggled in the opening match of the season in Cuttack and managed to score just 15 from 20 deliveries against the Bhilwara Kings.
However, on Friday, Gayle was at his usual best. The star batter hit three sixes and nine boundaries to set up a 40-run opening partnership with West Indies teammate Lendl Simmons. Gayle took his time to get going but once he found his stride, there were a wide array of big hits that sent the Jodhpur crowd into a frenzy.
Simmons too was looking in great rhythm as he hit five boundaries but his innings were cut short on 22 when he was caught out as he tried to hit Jesal Karia out of the ground.
After Simmons' dismissal in the fifth over, the Giants had the worst possible finish to their Powerplay when they lost the wickets of captain Parthiv Patel and Kevin O'Brien in the very next over. Yusuf Pathan was the man who inflicted the damage on the Giants.
But the former Indian star got his own reality check. Gayle was in no mood to spend a quiet night in Jodhpur. In the eighth over of the innings, he hit Yusuf for three fours and two sixes, his fifty coming up in 23 balls. The Kings' bowlers did well to pull things back somewhat in the middle overs.
Gayle's departure did not end the Kings' problems. Yashpal Singh (58 off 37 balls) and Thisara Perera (19) continued playing the big shots to help their team finish on a formidable total of 186 for 7 in 20 overs. The Giants could not have asked for more from their star opener in Gayle in a must-win encounter. They are currently in the 3rd spot in the 4-team Legends League Cricket points table with 2 wins in 5 matches.