Chris Gayle’s late bid by the Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) side in the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction of 2018 has created a lot of sensation and taken the internet by storm. While at one point it seemed like the swashbuckling left-hander would go unsold in the auctions, a late bid by the Punjab franchise meant IPL would not be missing its favourite hitter. Gayle is also more than happy to join his new franchise and showed his love for the new side by posting by donning a Sikh Turban and later in a video showing off a few perky Punjabi dance steps. This was after he dismissed fellow West Indian, Andre Russel in the nets.
In the post uploaded on a social media website, the two West Indians can be seen engaging in a fun-filled banter as Russell says that he will hit Gayle for a six and then perform a Punjabi ‘bhangra’ dance. Ironically, Russell was dismissed caught and bowled as Gayle erupted in a huge laugh and then celebrated by patting his thigh in a typical Punjabi fashion. “This Knight Rider player can’t be a Punjabi man,” said Gayle while taking a dig at Russell.
Earlier, Gayle who is renowned as of the most devasting batsmen of T20 format failed to get any bids from several IPL teams. This was even after he holds a stunning record in T20 cricket where he has slammed 3626 runs in 101 matches with a phenomenal strike rate of 151.20. It was only in the last phase of the auctions that he was picked up by Kings XI.