Former West Indies opener and self-proclaimed ‘Universe Boss’ Chris Gayle is known as a fun-loving character. Wherever he goes, he has a beaming smile on his face. Gayle is a player who has played for a huge number of T20 franchises around the world. He is a T20 legend and often features in all-time T20 XIs. He was feared by bowlers in the Indian Premier League (IPL) circuit as well. However, his IPL career ended abruptly at Punjab Kings (PBKS) in 2021. He cited bubble fatigue for leaving the franchise midway but, years later, he has slammed the franchise for disrespecting him. The ferocious batter also admitted that he was depressed during his PBKS days.
"Oh my IPL ended prematurely, you know, with Punjab to be honest with you. Yeah I mean absolutely, I mean I was disrespected in the franchise, Punjab Kings XI. You know, I felt like I wasn’t being treated properly for a senior guy done so much for the league, you know, bring so much value to the franchise as well. And then you’re being disrespected and they treat you like a kid, you know, and then pretty much I’m just like I felt like the building was on my shoulder. That’s the first time in my life I ever felt like a depression mode. So when people speak about depression, I can get a little sense of that and it wasn’t for me,” Gayle told Shubhankar Mishra on his YouTube show.
Gayle's last IPL game was against Mumbai Indians (MI) at Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi on September 28. He was sent in to bat at no.3 and scored just one run from four balls. He was dismissed by Kieron Pollard. Usually, Gayle liked to open in T20 cricket.
Gayle breaks down during discussion with Kumble
Gayle recalled that after the MI game he did not see a point to continue playing the IPL, especially with T20 World Cup 2021 around the corner. He picked up the phone and decided to call then-PBKS head coach Anil Kumble to inform him about the decision.
“So I know we talking about it’s our job working but at that stage money at that stage nothing. You don’t need money right there, your mental health is more important than money. I called Anil (Anil Kumble). I had a one-on-one discussion and say listen I’m leaving because at the same time as well I had the World Cup and we were in a bubble so you couldn’t come out so your mental space was just going, it was just really really puzzling and destroying you. I was destroyed inside and after the last game I played against Mumbai I’m like, ‘Yo, it doesn’t make sense. I’m going to do myself more damage rather than be at peace.’” Gayle recalled.
Gayle also revealed that he had a breakdown while talking to Kumble. Later, he got a call from then-captain KL Rahul but he had already made his decision.
“So I called him and had a one-on-one talk to him, you know, actually breakdown as well, literally a breakdown when I was talking to him because I was really hurt. Oh yeah I cried and I was disappointed with Anil and how the entire thing was actually run, the franchise was actually run at that time and I said listen man thank you. KL Rahul was the captain, he called me and said, “Yo Chris, you know, you want to stay, you’ll play the next game.” And I said listen to me man I wish you guys all the very best. I just packed my bag and I walked out.” he further added.
Chris Gayle’s record for PBKS
Gayle played four seasons for PBKS and scored 1,339 runs from 41 games at an average of 36.18, including one century and 10 fifties. He is currently the franchise's sixth-highest run-scorer.
Gayle’s IPL numbers and unbroken T20 records
Earlier, Gayle had much success at Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). In IPL 2013, he scored an unbeaten 175 against now-defunct Pune Warriors India. His record for highest individual score in a T20 match still remains unbroken. He retired with 4,965 runs from 142 IPL games, including six centuries and 31 fifties.
Gayle also holds the record for most T20 centuries and most T20 runs. He has 14,562 runs from 463 games at an average of 36.22, including 22 centuries and 88 fifties. His former teammate Pollard (14,145 runs) and former England opener Alex Hales (14,047 runs) are not far behind his tally of runs.