Chris Gayle is a lion who is getting old but he needs to score runs: Irfan Pathan

Former India and Baroda all-rounder Irfan Pathan feels that even though past his prime, Chris Gayle needs to contribute more with the bat. Pathan shared his views during a live interaction on Sony Sports after Punjab Kings suffered a six-wicket defeat against Mumbai Indians on September 28.

Put in to bat first, Punjab could manage to post only a paltry total of 135/6 in their 20 overs, with only Aiden Markram and Deepak Hooda getting some runs for the team. Gayle, meanwhile, was dismissed for just 1, as he holed out to long-on off Kieron Pollard. Mumbai eventually chased the target with an over and six wickets to spare.

“You expect more from Chris Gayle. I know he is a lion who is probably getting old but you will have to score runs. You don’t have too many options. Nicholas Pooran also performs well in the CPL but he has not been able to convert that talent in the IPL for a little while now,” Pathan said.

“Markram definitely tried to play a good knock but you need that firepower. Hooda also tried but you need more than that. Especially when your backs are against the wall you need to come up with the big punch. Punjab Kings and their batsmen will have to play the big knocks,” he added.

Mayank Agarwal’s injury is a massive setback for PBKS, feels Irfan Pathan

Punjab Kings missed the services of their opener Mayank Agarwal, who sat out of the contest against Mumbai owing to a neck strain. Pathan reckoned that his absence is a massive setback for the team and he needs to come back into the playing XI as quickly as possible.

“It is going to be very difficult. The first thing is that Mayank Agarwal injured his neck but it broke the back of the Punjab Kings batting because he was scoring a lot of runs. His coming back is very much necessary,” Irfan Pathan said.

“Other than him and KL Rahul, no one else is scoring a lot of runs. We did see Hooda scoring 20-30 runs in the middle but that is not good enough. You have to play the good match-winning knocks,” Irfan Pathan concluded.

Punjab Kings are currently placed sixth on the table, with four wins and seven losses, and will meet Kolkata Knight Riders on October 1 in Dubai.