Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) opener Mandeep Singh believes West Indies star Chris Gayle is possibly the greatest T20 player of all time and insisted he should be in no rush to retire.

Singh and Gayle crafted a crucial 100 run partnership, which led KXIP to an 8 wicket win over Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Monday and temporarily lifted the team into the playoff spots after finding themselves rooted to the bottom of the table just two weeks prior.  The win, the team’s fifth in a row, has coincided with the return of the veteran batsman Gayle to the line-up.  The West Indian had found himself sitting on the bench for the team’s first 7 games, where they struggled to a 1-7 start.

Since coming into the line-up Gayle has scored 177 runs, including two half-centuries, and has brought a sense of energy to the team.

“Chris makes the game so easy, I told him ‘you should never retire’,” Singh said in a post-match interview.

“I’ve been lucky to play with the likes of Chris Gayle, AB, Gilchrist, Virat Kohli.  I started out with Chris in 2010… I’ve been fortunate to know him as a friend.  He’s so humble, he is so down to earth.  Like I said, he should never retire.  He is always in great touch. I have never seen him struggle. He is probably the greatest T20 player of all time," he added.

A quick look at some of the stats does buttress Singh’s claims.  Gayle has scored the most runs in T20 cricket (13,296), has the highest score (175), most sixes in an innings (18), and the fastest 100.  He has also hit the most fours with 1,026.  With 993 sixes, Gayle is just 7 away from a record 1000.