Kings XI Punjab will have one eye nervously set on Windies star Chris Gayle who is believed to have suffered an injury during the team’s IPL encounter against Mumbai Indians yesterday.
Gayle, 39, struck a 36-ball 63 but was eventually upstaged by regional teammate Kieron Pollard who scored an astounding 83 runs from 31-balls. The 39-year-old opener is, however, believed to have suffered a back injury during the match, the severity of which is yet to be assessed.
“He (Gayle) said he twisted his back. We have to go check and see how he is,” KXIP captain Ravichandran Ashwin said. KXIP batting coach Sridharan Sriram also confirmed that the athlete had suffered an injury.
“He felt a twitch in the back – that’s what he said. We need to assess and monitor what he’s going to do over the next couple of days.”
Gayle did not take the field during Mumbai Indians’ successful run chase. The big left-hander has been in fine form for both club and country scoring 223 runs in six games. For the West Indies Gayle put in a sensational performance in the recent home series where he scored 424 runs in four games, which fueled a strongly contested 2-2 draw against higher-ranked England.
With the World Cup just a couple of weeks away the Windies will be hoping to keep their talisman in pristine condition if possible. (SportsMax)
