Can IPL 2021 be the fitting finale for Chris Gayle?

Punjab Kings' Chris Gayle during a practice session in Mumbai (Image courtesy: Twitter/@PunjabKingsIPL)

Punjab Kings’ youngest member Ravi Bishnoi wasn’t even born when his talismanic team-mate Chris Gayle played his first international game way back in September 1999. The sheer longevity and his versatility as a destructive batsman in all formats is itself enough to accord Gayle a place in cricket’s ‘Hall of Fame’.

Gayle is back in the Indian Premier League (IPL) once again – which could possibly be his last. Or is it really the case with Gayle? Who knows he can surprise everyone once more! With Gayle, you never say never ever. Who would have thought the veteran would single-handedly transform the fortunes of his beleaguered team last season when it could manage just one win from the first seven games. Enter Gayle, Punjab had won five matches in the next seven to nearly make it to the Playoffs.

The Jamaican cricketer had stunned everyone with his remarkable consistency by scoring 288 runs in seven matches at a strike rate of around 137. More importantly, he did that from out of his comfort zone of opening the innings. Gayle batted at number 3 last year – something he had done only five times in his nearly 400 T20 innings earlier.

“It seems like I’m the No. 3 specialist now,” Gayle said jokingly last month in Antigua when he made his comeback in the West Indian T20I squad at that position. “It was a role that the coach, Anil Kumble, asked me to play. He did mention it before the IPL actually started, which I had no problem with and then eventually, when I actually got the chance, they wanted my experience at No. 3 because Mayank [Agarwal] and KL Rahul were going great guns at the time,” Gayle revealed.

Very few would remember that Gayle could not play a single match in the inaugural edition of the IPL in 2008 because of his fitness issue. In the next two seasons, he didn’t do anything spectacular either. However, 2011, 2012 and 2013 were truly the Gayle years of the IPL with big man scoring 608, 733 and 708 runs at averages of 67, 61 and 59 and strike rate of 183, 160 and 156, respectively.

Of course, Gayle is not the same force he used to be. Yet, he has managed to be the most consistent since his heydays in the last three seasons for Punjab with 288 (average 41 of strike rate 137 in 2020), 490 runs (average 41 of strike rate 153) in 2019 and 368 runs (average 41 of strike rate 146) in 2018.

So what is the secret behind this new wind which is supposedly the twilight years of his legendary career? “It’s the willpower of the mind. The mind still wants to be out there and be out there on the park, still executing from a batting point of view and still having fun. That’s what gives me that extra drive to continue playing. If the mind stops operating like that for me, then I’d have to ask myself a big question there, but for now, it’s the mindset,” Gayle said in that interaction with the media in West Indies. This gives some insight about his approach towards the game at the age of 41.

Regardless of his phenomenal record in the Twenty20 format (only man to score more than 1,000 sixes) and equally terrific numbers in the IPL (highest ever individual score of unbeaten 175 and a record 349 sixes), Gayle has also faced the ignominy of not being picked in auction not once but twice.

Yet, every time he was written-off by the critics, he made even a stronger comeback. The muscular player is equally strong mentally so that he can take the rough with the smooth with equanimity. “The mindset is still good. I’m still looking after myself, I still do my training. Most people say 'are you on a diet?' I still eat properly. I still eat what I want. I still have my fun. I make sure I have a clear mind at all times. Once you have a clear mind you can be free to do whatever you want.”

An off-field image which is perhaps deliberately cultivated by the Jamaican himself, of a bindass and carefree soul perhaps often hides the fact that Gayle is the undisputed genius of the T20 format. He can be seen doing bhangra for the social media feed of his franchise or make Sapna Choudhary proud with his moves while dancing. Yet the fact remains that when Gayle is around, his team gets a distinct aura.

.@henrygayle issa vibe, isn't he? #SaddaPunjab #PunjabKings #IPL2021 #UniverseBoss pic.twitter.com/fgZQdAvzDz

— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) April 9, 2021

“He’s a huge part of our dressing room, and not just only for the runs he puts up on the board and the consistent performances he keeps putting game after game and year after year. To have someone like that around is very, very inspiring. He’s somebody who everybody loves in the dressing room. He keeps the dressing room very positive. We love having him around, and to see him batting the way he is batting. No one will ever say he is 41,” Punjab’s captain KL Rahul said last year after the West Indian single-handedly revived the team’s campaign.

Gayle has spoken about his desire of winning the third world T20 title for his national team. Despite all his accomplishments in the IPL, he has never been part of a title winning side in the tournament. His team Punjab Kings hasn’t won it either. Can Gayle do it for himself and Punjab before he signs-off from the IPL?

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