Gayle gave us such good energy' - KXIP bowler Ashwin hails return of Windies batsman to line-up
Gayle smacked an enterprising 53 from 45 balls, a total that included five big sixes, as KXIP snapped a five-game losing streak for only the team’s second win of the season.
Surprisingly, prior to this point, Gayle has been a spectator with Punjab losing six of its first seven games. The batsman had been tipped to return to the line-up last week but suffered from a case of food poisoning.
Last season, Gayle was the team’s second-highest runs-scorer with 490, with a high score of 99 and an average of 40.83.
"It is good to get a win. Chris coming back to the side gives a lot of energy to the team. The mood in the camp was always high even we were losing,” Ashwin told. Indiatvnews.
“We did not lose our spirit; we know that we are playing good cricket and it is just getting over the line. Really happy that we won a game and it is about repeating it game after game," he added.
Ashwin ended with figures of 2 for 23. KXIP will next play Mumbai Indians on Sunday, but firmly lodged at the bottom of the standings will have their work cut out to get to the playoffs.