One cannot sum Chris Gayle in words. The ‘Universal Boss’ in T20s showed once again why he is the best ever in this format after a sublime century for the Kings XI Punjab. Gayle-storm hit Mohali once again as the hosts beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by 15 runs in the Indian Premier League 2018 t0 claim their third win in four matches.
The West Indian did what he does best after a stellar 104 runs unbeaten off just 63 deliveries. KXIP put 193/3 on the board as Sunrisers could not get to the total and managed 178/4 in reply. This, in turn, saw Kane Williamson’s side suffer their first loss of IPL 2018.
The universe boss smashes the first century of #IPL2018! Congratulations @henrygayle 👏 pic.twitter.com/mjxDBBGVrK
— ICC (@ICC) April 19, 2018
After being benched in the first two matches, Gayle announced his arrival against Chennai Super Kings with 63 runs. He backed that innings with this special hundred which was laced with just one four but 11 whopping sixes. His average of 167.00 is mammoth in IPL 2018.
Gayle-storm delight for Punjab
Yes, he was ignored by the franchises in the auction, but credit to Virender Sehwag for giving Gayle the chance to have a say in the 11th edition of the IPL. As soon as he got a chance, Gayle did not disappoint. Viru took to Twitter to take a dig.
I saved the IPL by picking – @henrygayle 🤣🤣.
— Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) April 19, 2018
This was his back to back man-of-the-match award performances. What a story the player has scripted as sides now will be fearing to bowl against him in the tourney.
The left-hander hit his fifty in 39 balls, but the momentum shifted when he got to his next fifty in just 19 balls. The 58-ball hundred was another Gayle show that had everybody in the stadium and across the world in awe of the player he is. Respect for the southpaw, who comes out strong every time he is rubbed wrongly. This was a great inning that said a lot to all the teams for ignoring the man, who has been the best in IPL.
Stat attack – Gayle is unstoppable
- This was Chris Gayle’s sixth hundred in the IPL.
- It was also his first ever against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
- Before this heroic innings, the West Indian had only managed to score 220 runs against SRH at an average of 24.44.
- Gayle also mustered his 21st T20 career ton.That is 14 higher than the next best batsmen.
- The 104* by Gayle was IPL 2018’s first century.
- He reached his hundred in just 58 deliveries.
- Gayle’s 11 sixes meant that he has hit a record 279 of them.
- Next is Rohit Sharma (179).
Rashid falls flat against Gayle
Four sixes in an over saw Rashid Khan concede a total of 55 runs in four overs. This was his worst spell in the IPL. But what he could have done? With the form Gayle is in, one only just keeps bowling, knowing that the person in the other end can dispatch every delivery out to the crowd.
This was the second time in Rashid Khan’s career that he allowed four sixes in an over. Earlier it was AB de Villiers during the 2016 World Twenty20. Rashid till this match had the best overall economy which was under six runs an over. But on Thursday, he came across somebody, who owns this format.
Stat attack: KXIP finally crack SRH code
- Prior to this victory, the two sides had faced each other in 10 matches, with SRH winning 8 times.
- This was Punjab’s third victory in 11 encounters.
- Earlier in Mohali, KXIP had failed to crack the code against Sunrisers. But this time they finally won.
- This was their maiden victory in 5 attempts.
- This was KXIP’s third victory in four matches in IPL 2018.
Mujeeb impresses as SRH fall short
Kane Williamson smashed 41-ball 54 in the chase as Manish Pandey hit his maiden half-century of this season. In the end, this wasn’t enough for the visitors. They also lost Shikhar Dhawan, who retired hurt after facing the first ball of his innings. SRH fell short by 15 runs in the end and they would have rued the start of the chase.
One should give immense credit to teenager Mujeeb Ur Rahman for bowling his heart out once again. In four overs the 17-year-old gave away just 27 runs and did not allow the SRH batsmen to get going. He was unlucky to miss out on a wicket but he played his role.