Gayle to return to IPL in 2023, names 2 franchises he ‘would love to get title’

West Indies cricket great Chris Gayle has been part of the Indian Premier League (IPL) since the 2009 season.

However, the legendary IPL batter went unsold at the mega auction in February this year, leaving Gayle out of the tournament for the first time in his career. However, the 42-year-old has vowed to make a return to the league next year and has named two franchises he wants to win the title for.

Gayle has been part of three franchises in IPL history. He was roped in by Kolkata Knight Riders in 2009 and in his two year stint he scored 463 runs in 16 innings with two half-centuries.

His most memorable time came at the Royal Challengers Bangalore who signed him in 2011. He played 84 innings for the franchise scoring 3163 runs at 43.3 and a strike rate of 152.7 with five centuries and 19 fifties. In 2018, after going unsold twice at the auction, he was picked by Punjab Kings for INR 2 crore. He scored 1339 runs for the team in 41 games.

Despite the numbers, Gayle went unsold for the 2022 season, but he ain’t over with IPL yet. Speaking to The Mirror, Gayle expressed his desire to not just return to the league, but also win a major T20 trophy which has been missing from his illustrious CV.

“Next year I’m coming back, they need me! I’ve represented three teams in the IPL, Kolkata, RCB and Punjab. Between RCB and Punjab, I would love to get a title, with one of those two teams. I had a great stint with RCB where I was more successful within the IPL, and Punjab, they’ve been good. I love to explore and I love challenges so let’s see what happens,” he said.