PBKS team news: Wasim Jaffer reveals where Chris Gayle will bat in IPL 2021 matches

West Indies batting connoisseur Chris Gayle is slated to represent the Punjab Kings (PBKS) franchise in the upcoming Indian Premier League 2021 (IPL 2021) season. While the cricketer is known for his explosive hitting as an opener, he batted down at No. 3 for his side in the previous edition of the tournament. Ahead of the much-awaited season, the Punjab Kings batting coach confirmed Gayle’s batting position for this year.

Chris Gayle IPL 2021: Wasim Jaffer wants KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal as openers

While speaking with the InsideSport, former Indian cricketer Wasim Jaffer said that the opening combo of KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal should not be altered because of their success at the top. Referring to Chris Gayle’s performance last year, Jaffer added that he gave us a “great impetus at No. 3”. He added that Gayle should continue to bat at No. 3 because he was successful in attacking the opponent’s spinners and pacers during the middle overs.

PBKS IPL 2021 schedule and squad updates

The PBKS franchise retained 16 of their stars, including captain KL Rahul and star attractions like Mohammad Shami and Nicholas Pooran from their previous edition squad. Meanwhile, they also released several of their overseas cricketers including Glenn Maxwell and Sheldon Cottrell. Here is a look at the entire PBKS team for the upcoming season:

PBKS team: Players retained and purchased

KL Rahul (c), Arshdeep Singh, Chris Gayle, Darshan Nalkande, Harpreet Brar, Mandeep Singh, Mayank Agarwal, Mohammad Shami, Murugan Ashwin, Nicholas Pooran, Sarfaraz Khan, Deepak Hooda, Ishan Porel, Ravi Bishnoi, Chris Jordan, Prabhsimran Singh, Dawid Malan, Riley Meredith, Jhye Richardson, Shahrukh Khan, Jalaj Saxena, Moises Henriques, Utkarsh Singh, Fabian Allen and Saurabh Kumar.

PBKS IPL 2021 schedule

As per the PBKS IPL 2021 schedule, KL Rahul & co. will take on the Rajasthan Royals in their opening match of IPL 2021 on April 12 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The game is scheduled to begin at 7:30 PM IST. The Punjab Kings are set to play their first three matches in Mumbai, followed by two in Chennai, four in Ahmedabad and their final five games in Bengaluru.

A look at PBKS IPL 2021 schedule

PBKS new logo and team name

On February 17, i.e. a day prior to the IPL 2021 auction, the Punjab Kings franchise revealed their new name and team logo on their social media accounts. Here is a look at their new name and logo for the IPL 2021 season.

PBKS new logo and name reveal: watch video

Image source: IPLT20.COM