Chris Gayle was at his destructive best as he marauded his way to 99 and took Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) to 185/4 wickets in 20 overs against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the Indian Premier League on Friday.
The former West Indies captain was denied his 23rd T20 ton when he was bowled by Jofra Archer off the fourth ball of the last over at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium.
Left-handed Gayle hit six fours and eight sixes on his way to 99 off 63 balls. He surpassed 1,000 sixes in the shortest format of the game. He put up a 120-run stand with KL Rahul for the second wicket before a 41-run stand with Nicholas Pooran, in which the latter did much of the scoring.
Gayle then upped the ante when Glenn Maxwell joined him in the middle, getting to 99 with a six over long-on. Archer came back with an inch-perfect yorker that went past his inside edge, hit his pad, and ricocheted on to the wicket.
The bat then slipped out of Gayle’s hand as he looked to hit the ground with it, before he shook hands with Archer. A win here for KXIP would all but confirm their passage into the playoffs.
Brief scores: KXIP 185/4 wkts in 20 overs (Chris Gayle 99, KL Rahul 46; Jofra Archer 2/26)
