Pietersen, Gavaskar unhappy as Punjab Kings drop Gayle on his 42nd birthday

KEVIN Pietersen and Sunil Gavaskar expressed their disappointment and shock
as Punjab Kings left out Chris Gayle from their XI for their first game of the
second phase of the IPL 2021.
Kings opted for Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Adil Rashid, and Fabian Allen
in their XI against Rajasthan Royals in Dubai yesterday, September 21.
What also didn’t sit well with the two former cricketers was the fact that Gayle
wasn’t picked on his birthday.
The West Indian legend turned 42 yesterday. He was part of the Punjab Kings
side in each of the matches during the first leg in India. However, he wasn’t in the
best form. Even during the recent Caribbean Premier League, (CPL) he failed to
score a single score above 50 runs.
Former English batter Pietersen said that the legendary cricketer shouldn’t have
been left out on his birthday. “There will be some questions asked. I don’t
understand why you would leave Chris Gayle out on his birthday. If there was
one game you were going to play him, it was this one. If he fails then you say ‘ok,
you can have a bit of rest’. So I can’t understand the thinking at all,” Pietersen
said on Star Sports.
SUNIL GAVASKAR
Former Indian legend added that he was ‘astonished’ at the decision of dropping
Gayle for the XI. He further said that the four players whom the Punjab Kings
have picked might well win them the game. But, the former cricketer, who is
currently serving as a commentator in the IPL 2021 broadcast, felt it wasn’t right
to leave him out on his birthday.
“The fact remains that on your birthday, you are leaving one of the stellar players
of the T20 format. Not just in the IPL – the CPL, the Big Bash. You name it, every
single T20 league he has dominated. And you drop him for this game on his
birthday, it makes zero sense,” said Gavaskar.

Speaking of Gayle’s place in the side, the South African batsman Aiden Markram
and England spinner Adil Rashid’s entry to the squad as replacement players
seemed to have played a part.
Gayle’s own form might have played a part too. In 2021, he has averaged 25.42
with the bat after playing 8 matches. CricTracker)