Initially, Chris Gayle expressed his surprise at being overlooked for the 2011 edition of the IPL.
His international commitments meant that he would only be available for roughly two weeks during the tournament scheduled from April 8 to May 22, which rendered his reserve price of $400,000 a costly proposition.
After being passed over the day before, Gayle vented his frustrations by hitting 61 runs off 30 balls in WA’s Twenty20 victory against NSW last weekend.
At 31, he found it perplexing that none of the Indian franchises showed interest in acquiring him, even for promotional purposes.
‘Yeah, I’m a bit surprised,’ Gayle commented upon returning to Perth on Monday.
‘But the franchise likely thinks they want their best player available for the entire IPL.
‘It’s beyond my control.’
Shaun Marsh, an opener for the Warriors, expressed his astonishment upon learning that Gayle was not selected, especially after being retained by King’s XI Punjab for $403,185.
‘It was a huge surprise to everyone,’ Marsh remarked.
‘He is a world-class player in all formats of the game, particularly in Twenty20.’
Buford Balony says: He’s not the only one taken aback; he’s arguably the best T20 player in the world. You can never predict with the Indians.
