Chris Gayle 'coming back' to IPL in 2023 despite ill-treatment claims; says 'They need me'

Chris Gayle, the legendary West Indian cricketer, has given his Indian fans some good news, announcing that he will return to the Indian Premier League (IPL) next year. The opening batsman stated that he would like to win a title with either of his two former teams, the Royal Challengers Bangalore or the Punjab Kings.

Gayle noted he had a terrific tenure with RCB and was very successful at the franchise; and he praised Punjab for their support, saying, "They've been good".

Chris Gayle wants to return to IPL despite criticism

"Next year I’m coming back, they need me! I’ve represented three teams in the IPL, Kolkata, RCB, and Punjab. Between RCB and Punjab, I would love to get a title, with one of those two teams. I had a great stint with RCB where I was more successful within the IPL, and Punjab, they’ve been good. I love to explore and I love challenges so let’s see what happens," Gayle told mirror.co.uk. 

Talking about his absence from this year's edition of the cash-rich competition, Gayle said he didn't get the respect he deserved so he chose not to enter the draft for the 2022 season. Gayle remarked that he hasn't been treated fairly in the last few years, which is why he opted to skip the tournament this season. 

"For the last couple of years, the way the IPL went about, I felt like I wasn’t treated properly. So, I thought ‘okay, you (Gayle) didn’t get the respect you deserved after you did so much for the sport and IPL.’ So, I said ‘okay, that’s it, I’m not going to bother to enter the draft,’ so I left it as it is. There is always going to be life after cricket so I’m just trying to adapt to normality," he said. 

Gayle's IPL career

During his illustrious career in the IPL, Gayle has been a prolific player for multiple franchises – Kolkata Knight Riders, Royal Challengers Bangalore, and Punjab Kings. His stay with RCB, however, saw him reach new heights in his career. Between 2011 and 2017, Gayle played some incredible innings for RCB. He was a major element of RCB's dangerous big three along with AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli.

Gayle has appeared in 142 IPL matches and scored approximately 5,000 runs at an average of 39.72. Gayle has an unbeaten 175 runs in the IPL as his highest score, which he scored against Pune Warriors in 2013. The score is the highest individual score in the IPL. In addition, the 'Universe Boss' has six IPL hundreds to his name.The 42-year-old also holds the record for the highest number of sixes, 357, in the tournament.