Why Chris Gayle Missed Out On Playing His First Match For Kings XI Punjab In IPL 2020

Chris Gayle missed out on starting his Indian Premier League 2020 campaign in Dubai on Thursday. The Jamaican master blaster was in Kings XI Punjab's scheme of things against Sunrisers Hyderabad, said KXIP head coach Anil Kumble. (Scorecard | Match Blog)

KXIP are struggling in IPL 2020 and are yet to find the right combination in their batting order despite having two centurions -- KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal -- in the tournament. One of the reasons for Kings XI Punjab misfiring is the poor contribution from their overseas players.

The biggest failure has been Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell, who was bought for INR 10.75 Crores. Except for Nicholas Pooran, who has chipped in with useful knocks, KXIP are yet to find value in their international players. West Indian pacer Sheldon Cottrell, for whom KXIP paid 8.5 Crores, is another disappointment.

Waiting for my turn! Chris Gayle. Photo - BCCI 

In the IPL auctions, Kings XI Punjab had retained Chris Gayle for Rs 2 crores.

"Chris Gayle would have played today but he has food poisoning," said Kumble.

Gayle, an IPL icon, would have probably replaced Maxwell, who again went for runs against Sunrisers Hyderabad, who rode cracking knocks like skipper David Warner (52) and Jonny Bairstow (97).

Kings XI Punjab made three changes on Thursday. Prabsimran Singh, Arshdeep Singh, and Mujeeb ur Rahman replaced Harpreet Brar, Chris Jordan and Sarfraz Khan in the KXIP playing XI vs SRH