IPL 2018: Give the Universe Boss to the fans, says Kings XI Punjab’s Chris Gayle

Chris Gayle was thrilled to be back on the field in the IPL 2018, appealing to his new team Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) to ‘give the Universe Boss to the fans’ after scoring a rapid half-century on Sunday. (MATCH REPORT) (HIGHLIGHTS). Upon his first appearance for the Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) against Chennai Super Kings (CSK), he played a match-winning knock in a high-scoring thriller. (KXIP VS CSK FULL SCORECARD)

Gayle’s 33-ball 63 — studded with four sixes and seven boundaries — powered KXIP to a huge total of 197/7, and his team went on to win the clash by four runs. The burly West Indian batsman, who was an integral member of the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for many years was not retained by the franchise for the ongoing 11th edition of IPL, and instead, he was picked up by KXIP for Rs 2 crore. However, the leading run-scorer in the T20 format had to wait for his chance this season, which he eventually got against CSK. He was brutal against the CSK bowlers, forcing the team’s Twitter handle to appeal him to calm down a little. After winning the Man of the Match award for his stunning innings, Gayle made a bold appeal to the KXIP management to continue playing him in the eleven. “I’ve never felt so young in my entire life before. I’m feeling like (I’m) 25 (years old).

The Universe Boss is back,” Gayle said after KXIP’s win. “This morning I got a text saying you’ll be playing today so I grabbed the opportunity with both hands. I’ve been waiting patiently, (and) I’ve got the chance today to make the best use of it. It’s good to be back,” he added. Gayle, who calls himself the ‘Universe Boss’ for his extravagant batting as well as lifestyle, said that he would never lose confidence in himself. “That’s Chris Gayle for you, once he’s on the go he’s not going to be looking for singles – once you have momentum you’re always going to try and keep the bowler under a bit of pressure. The fact is that I’m here and the fans want to see the Universe Boss, so give the Universe Boss to the fans,” he expressed. “The batting will always be there to be honest, it won’t leave the Universe Boss until I call this game quits. (The confidence) will never leave, I’ll take that to the grave,” he concluded.