Harsha Bhogle reacts to Chris Gayle missing IPL 2022 auction; 'A big part of its growth'

Veteran Indian cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle turned to social media on Saturday to shower praise on West Indies batter Chris Gayle. When it was revealed that Gayle has not registered his name for the 2022 edition of the Indian Premier League, Bhogle took to Twitter to applaud the cricketer, whom he dubbed as "one of the finest and most charismatic players" in the league.

Gayle, according to Bhogle, has played a prominent role in the league's growth over the last 14 years. While Gayle played for Punjab Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders, Bhogle believes he will always be associated with Royal Challengers Bangalore owing to his memorable partnerships with AB de Villiers.

Gayle's IPL future was called into question last year after he parted ways with the Punjab Kings in the middle of the season to take a T20 World Cup preparation break. Gayle was already in poor form before entering the IPL last season, putting his inclusion in the upcoming edition in jeopardy. Gayle, on the other hand, could have easily landed a berth in any squad if he had submitted his name for the auction, given his stature as a T20 batter.

Gayle's IPL career

As far as Gayle's IPL career is concerned, the 42-year-old has played a total of 142 matches in the cash-rich tournament since making his debut in 2009. Gayle is the seventh-highest run-scorer in the history of the league and third amongst overseas players, only after David Warner and AB de Villiers. Gayle has scored 4,965 runs at an average of 39.72 and with a strike rate of 148.96. Gayle has scored the most number of centuries (6) for a player in the IPL. He also holds the record for hitting the most number of sixes (357) in the IPL. 

The BCCI on Saturday announced that a total of 1,214 players have enrolled for the upcoming mega auction, which is scheduled to be held in Bengaluru on February 12 and 13. ESPNcricinfo reported that Chris Gayle is amongst the big players who have not put their names forward for the auction. Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer, Mitchell Starc, Joe Root, Sam Curran, and Chris Woakes are some of the other players who will not feature in the bidding list next month. 

Image: PunjabKings/Twitter