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IPL legend Chris Gayle opened up on the tough times he faced at Punjab Kings during the fag end of his career in the cash-rich league. Gayle is widely regarded as one of the finest openers in IPL history, boasting numerous records to his name, including the tournament’s highest-ever individual score of 175. Gayle began his IPL career with Kolkata Knight Riders, but it was at Royal Challengers Bengaluru where he truly found his rhythm, rewriting record books and forming a legendary partnership alongside Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers. However, in the later stage of his career, he moved to the Punjab Kings. He was bought by the franchise for INR 2 crore in 2018 and played 41 matches there, scoring 1,339 runs at an average of 36 and a strike rate of 143.
He left the franchise midseason during 2021 when the IPL was staged behind closed doors and players were confined to bio-bubbles within their hotels due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Gayle confessed that his IPL journey came to an abrupt end, saying he felt disrespected by the franchise and poorly treated, an experience that also drove him into a phase of depression.
“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 said in a podcast with Shubhankar Mishra.
The Windies legend said that he also chatted with Anil Kumble, during which he shared what he had been going through in the bio-bubble.
“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 said listen, I’m leaving because at the same time, 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,’” he added.
“I literally breakdown when I was talking to Kumble”: Gayle
Gayle played his last IPL match against the Mumbai Indians and finished his IPL career with 4965 runs in 142 matches at a strike rate of 148.96.
He revealed breaking down during the conversation with Kumble, as he was disappointed with both the coach and how the franchise was run. Gayle said then-skipper KL Rahul also called him and asked him to play, but he had already made the call to leave.
“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 concluded.
