IPL 2020: Chris Gayle presents KXIP debut cap to Sheldon Cottrell with a salute

The season opener of Kings XI Punjab in IPL 2020 couldn’t have been more thrilling and heartbreaking at the same time. In a contest against Delhi Capitals at Dubai International Stadium, Punjab put up a great fight that levelled the score eventually. With help of Mayank Agarwal’s stunning knock, the squad came just next to winning the match before it slipped into super-over. In the super-over that followed, DC defeated the rivals easily.

Where Mayank Agarwal (89 off 60) remained a hero for the Punjab side, it was Marcus Stoinis (53 off 21) for the Delhi team who became their hero. Stoinis not only wreaked havoc with the bat in the last over but also scalped two essential wickets for his team. In the same game, West Indies’ Sheldon Cottrell marked his debut, and the cap was presented to him by another Caribbean stunner Chris Gayle.

Cottrell has been roped in by the Punjab squad for a whopping INR 8.5 crore during the IPL 2020 auctions. Gayle, who is known for his unique antics presented the cap to Cottrell by imitating his traditional ‘salute’ style. His gesture left everyone on the field including Cottrell in splits.

Sheldon Cottrell conceded 24 runs in his four overs

In his debut match, Cottrell conceded 24 runs in his span of four overs. He scalped wickets of bowler Axar Patel and experienced spinner Ravichandran Ashwin. Gayle, who wasn’t part of the first game for his squad, showed great enthusiasm on the field while enjoying with the team. He is equally popular for his dance moves on the field and didn’t leave a chance to show a glimpse of it while shaking leg to a popular Bhojpuri number.

KXIP posted the video of the same on their Twitter handle, where Gayle can be seen enjoying with bowler Harpreet Brar on the bus. The video showed how cheerful is this player and gets along with other players in no time.

After starting their campaign with a loss that too in dramatic super over, Punjab might be a little disheartened. However, keeping all this aside, they will be up against Royal Challengers Bangalore on September 24 with all the new energy and vigour.