Updated: September 20, 2020 8:05:21 pm
IPL 2020, DC vs KXIP: Chris Gayle, Ajinkya Rahane stayed on the bench. (Twitter / KXIP / DC)
There will be no Gaylestorm in Dubai after Chris Gayle was left on the bench when Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) met Delhi Capitals (DC) on matchday two of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Glenn Maxwell, Nicholas Pooran, Chirs Jordan, Sheldon Cottrell were the four foreign players included in KXIP XI.
The reason behind leaving Gayle out was perhaps due to the preference given to Pooran. The inclusion of the young southpaw likely gives captain KL Rahul, who made his captaincy debut for KXIP on Sunday, a lot more freedom when opening the innings. The Trinidadian was also in good shape during the recently concluded Caribbean Premier League.
Gayle came to KXIP in 2018 and was not part of the game XI initially, as Punjab chose Mayanka Agarwal over him. But ‘The Boss’ proved why it was a mistake to drop him half a century into his first match for KXIP. Thereafter, he went on to score heavily in the 2018 and 2019 season.
“Fresh wicket, I really don’t know what to expect. I have confidence and also the whole team, a great opportunity to go out and play cricket. Staying indoors was difficult, but it also gave us time to think about our strategy, Maxwell, Pooran, Jordan and Cottrell are our four overseas players, ”Rahul said after winning the draw.
However, the exclusion of Gayle hasn’t gone well with a large chunk of Punjab fans, as they expected fireworks from the Universe Boss.
How can you stop Chris Gayle from playing eleven? He’s a much better player than you and anyone else on your team. You don’t seem to understand the game.
– Manish Sharma (@ ManishS41796915) September 20, 2020
Disappointed not to see @henrygayle tonight, but this is logical based on the current form shown @lionsdenkxip
– Ganga (@ unc_mba_2010) September 20, 2020
Finally, the day has come when #ChrisGayle no longer an automatic pick in game XI # IPL2020 #DCvKXIP
– Slipstream Cricket (@SlipstreamCrick) September 20, 2020
Indian veteran Ajinkya Rahane was also not in the Delhi lineup. Delhi Capitals head coach Ricky Ponting had hinted before the game that Rahane’s place in XI was not guaranteed. However, he had also said that Rahane is in the ‘combination of things’ for the first match.
“I’ve worked closely with him to improve his T20 hitting, but I already had the conversation with him about this and as far as the first game goes, he’s certainly in the mix.”
Delhi’s hitting force probably didn’t work out in Rahane’s favor.
Teams:
Kings XI Punjab (Playing XI): KL Rahul (c), Mayank Agarwal, Karun Nair, Sarfaraz Khan, Glenn Maxwell, Nicholas Pooran (w), Krishnappa Gowtham, Chris Jordan, Sheldon Cottrell, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammed Shami
Others on the day: 😨 #WakhraSquad: ⬇️🤭#SaddaPunjab # Dream11IPL #DCvKXIP @henrygayle pic.twitter.com/mzDyEOuvh9
– Kings XI Punjab (@lionsdenkxip) September 20, 2020
Delhi Capitals (Playing XI): Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Shreyas Iyer (c), Rishabh Pant (w), Shimron Hetmyer, Marcus Stoinis, Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Mohit Sharma
📣 The Indian Express is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@indianexpress) and stay updated with the latest headlines
For the latest sports news, download the Indian Express app.
© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd
.
