Chris Gayle Sexism Row: Rajiv Shukla to take up the issue post IPL 2016

Controversies seem to follow the swashbuckling West Indies batsman Chris Gayle and another issue seems to have put his IPL future in doubt after the batsman allegedly made lewd remarks to a female journalist in an interview published by the Times. IPL Chairman Rajiv Shukla has said that he would look into the matter soon. Speaking to female reporter Charlotte Edwardes, Gayle claimed to have “a very, very big bat, the biggest in the world,” before he sarcastically added “You think you could lift it? You’d need two hands.” His remarks have also led to his Big Bash club Melbourne Renegades announcing that they will not offer him a fresh contract for next season's Big Bash League (BBL). The southpaw’s English county club Somerset, for whom he’s stated to play soon, might also scrutinise the issue.

There is a dark cloud looming large over his IPL future as well, as Rajiv Shukla pointed out, "The players must behave. We expect the players to adhere to a certain kind of behaviour when the tournament is on. The players should maintain the sanctity of the league. These kind of statements are totally uncalled for in public domain. I will take up this issue with the president and the secretary of the BCCI."

The IPL chairman also added that he would take up the matter with the Royal Challengers Bangalore management as well, The Royal Challengers Bangalore reached the final of IPL 2016 after beating the Gujarat Lions in the Qualifier last night and they will definitely not like this whole issue during the crucial part of the campaign.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) though preferred to stay away from the controversy as of now and may only act if a formal complaint is lodged against the West Indian star. The newly crowned Secretary of the apex body Mr. Ajay Shirke said, "At this point, we'll not look into it. We're focused on completing the IPL, which has reached its final stages. What has happened in this case is between two foreign individuals. It is a personal matter between people who aren't from India. At the same time, that doesn't mean that we'll ignore it. If a complaint is brought to us, we'll act on it. If it develops into something more, we'll look into it at an appropriate stage.”

Blush-gate

Earlier this year, the West Indian batsman was severely criticised for asking a TV reporter ‘out for a date’ during a Big Bash League game. The reporter named Mel McLaughlin was interviewing the big man on the sidelines when the Jamaican nonchalantly started flirting with her. That led to the infamous ‘blush-gate’ incident and Gayle received a lot of flak for that. The Jamaican has repeatedly tried to play down the incident saying it was only meant for fun.

Gayle,who is just one step away from winning his debut IPL medal this season with his side, might just have put his cricketing future in doubt with these comments as he seems to play only in different T20 leagues across the world.