West Indies cricketer Chris Gayle has been one of the most lethal T20 batsman the game has ever seen. However, it took everyone by surprise when he went unsold twice during the Indian Premier League auction. Eventually, he was snapped up by Kings XI Punjab owing to Virender Sehwag. Sehwag also picked up Yuvraj Singh who wasn’t a big hit at the auction.

“It is great that they have come to us at their base price. It is surely a bargain. Who knows if there were more bidders, they could have gone as high as $1 million. They are big names and match winners, even if they win two-three games for us, we would get the return on investment,” said Sehwag back then.

Another stellar showing 

Gayle, however, was not bothered about the auction and was ready for the worst.

“I was not surprised. Whether it was the first or last minute (being picked) does not matter. But I don’t have too many expectations in life. You have to prepare yourself for disappointments. I have seen these things happen in the IPL,” said Gayle in an interview with Mumbai Mirror.

Gayle then went on and stated that Sehwag saved the IPL after he scored a ton against Sunrisers Hyderabad. A comment, which he says was not a joke but a matter of fact.

“It was not a joke, I am serious. You have said IPL needs stars and you have answered the question. I have done so much for the IPL. You look back and see what I have done for the IPL. I had two centuries and won a trophy, still active and playing. You can still see what I have to offer to the game. I love to continue playing in India. This is where a lot of passion lies. There is some fuel in the tank,” said Gayle.

Age is just a number 

He also said that his age could be a factor in the reluctance of other teams picking him. However, he stated an example of Shane Watson, who scored two centuries this season for Chennai Super Kings, including one in the final. “May be it is because of my age. How old is Watson? He has scored two centuries. I am 39 and still scoring hundreds,” said Gayle.

However, after the two-month tournament, Punjab seventh on the table, not the start they were hoping for. “We had a good start but we lost the momentum in the final stages. Hopefully, next year,” said Gayle.

Gayle scored 368 runs in 11 matches for Punjab, which also included an unbeaten 104 against runners-up Hyderabad.

Read the interview here.