IPL 2021: “Still plenty in the tank” – Chris Gayle bullish ahead of SRH clash

Chris Gayle is confident about his team’s chances ahead of the all-important clash against Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2021. The Universe Boss claimed he has a lot to offer the Punjab Kings while looking ahead to their first day game of IPL 2021.

IPL 2021’s bottom-placed teams will take each other on on a sweltering day in Chennai. The Punjab Kings have won the toss and elected to bat first, with Chris Gayle one of four overseas players playing against SRH.

Chris Gayle was at his affable best while speaking to the presenters on Wednesday afternoon before the game.

“Still plenty in the tank, looking forward to it. It is going to be a hot cracking day. Let’s see how the youngsters get on in these conditions,” Gayle claimed.

3️⃣ changes for us today 😍#SaddeFans, are you happy? ☺️#SaddaPunjab #IPL2021 #PunjabKings #PBKSvSRH pic.twitter.com/iZbl3R3bLV

— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) April 21, 2021

Punjab Kings have made a couple of changes from the team that lost to Delhi Capitals in the last game. Their first game in Chennai, on the slow Chepauk track, has prompted them to bring in Fabien Allen and Moises Henriques for their PBKS debuts. With the side seventh in the IPL 2021 standings after just one win from three, Chris Gayle is aware of the importance of this game against SRH.

“It is a tough game for both teams when you look at the points table. Those guys are actually on the back foot as well. From our point of view, we still have to play positive cricket here. Tough conditions. Sunrisers have been in these conditions, so they know them better even though they have actually lost three games. We will see what it is like, stick to our plans, execute the basic stuff and get a win,” Gayle said.

Chris Gayle confident about facing Rashid Khan

Let’s take all of this into tomorrow’s game, #UniverseBoss 💥#SaddaPunjab #IPL2021 #PunjabKings #PBKSvSRH @henrygayle pic.twitter.com/9LgqfzfG95

— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) April 20, 2021

Chris Gayle is likely to come up against Rashid Khan, who is widely regarded as one of the best leg-spinners in world cricket. The Chris Gayle vs Rashid Khan match-up is always a treat to watch, and both T20 stars have found some success against each other.

Rashid Khan has dismissed the Universe Boss four times in T20s, while Chris Gayle has a strike rate of nearly 170 against him. Chris Gayle touched upon the prospect of facing Rashid Khan ahead of the latest edition of the fascinating battle.

“He is a world-class bowler. These conditions will suit him. He is a bowler you want to be positive against. Once you try and be positive against him, you will get scoring opportunities. You don’t want to be too much on the backfoot when playing against these guys,” Gayle explained.

Chris Gayle has scored just 61 runs for PBKS this season, at a below-par strike rate of 129.78. The 41-year-old is due for a big score, and PBKS would hope Gayle can fire against SRH on Wednesday.