Former West Indies star Chris Gayle has revealed that he felt disrespected by the Punjab Kings (PBKS) during the IPL 2021 season. Gayle represented the franchise from 2018 to 2021, but his final year was filled with disappointment. The season, which began on April 9, was suspended midway due to COVID-19 and later resumed on September 19 in the UAE. Gayle played only two matches after the restart, with his last outing against Mumbai Indians on September 28, before pulling out citing “bubble fatigue.”
In a recent conversation with Shubhankar Mishra on his YouTube channel, Gayle opened up about his struggles with the franchise. He claimed that he was disrespected by PBKS and admitted that the treatment left him feeling depressed. The ‘Universe Boss’ said the experience was tough to handle, marking a bitter end to his IPL journey with the team.
“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.”
Chris Gayle
Gayle said he spoke with then head coach Anil Kumble but was left disappointed with the way the franchise was run. He felt the poor management and lack of respect played a big role in his decision to leave mid-season.
“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 say listen I’m leaving because at the same time as well 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.’”
Chris Gayle
The former West Indies legend continued:
“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.”
Chris Gayle
Punjab Kings finished sixth in the standings after a difficult season.
A look at Chris Gayle’s record for Punjab Kings in the IPL
In 2018, Chris Gayle played a split season with Punjab Kings. He began well with regular runs in 2018 and 2019, and in 2020 he had a fairly good season, but he fell in 2021.
In four seasons he represented PBKS with 41 matches, 1,339 runs with 36.19 average and 143.21 strike rate and 10 fifties and one century.
