IPL 2020: Chris Gayle shares picture of himself chilling on hospital bed, says ‘will never go down without a fight’

Ahead of Kings XI Punjab's match against Sunrisers Hyderabad, head coach Anil Kumble had informed that the team was planning on including Chris Gayle in the Playing XI but couldn't do so because the West Indies batsman was hit by a stomach bug. But after KXIP lost the game, it was assumed that the stage will finally be set for Gayle-storm to hit the UAE against KKR on Saturday.

However, KXIP fans were startled when Gayle still didn't make it to the Playing XI and Glenn Maxwell, the man he was expected to replace, got another game. The reason why Gayle continued to sit out was finally revealed when the explosive West Indies batsman shared a picture on Instagram, where he seems to be in the best of spirits. Clearly, Gayle is yet to recover from the stomach infection that troubled him.

"I can tell you this!!! I will never go down without a fight!! I Am The #UniverseBoss - That will never changed!! You can learn from me...but it's not everything I do you should follow!! Don't forget my style and flare too. Thanks for all your concerns peeps, much appreciated," Gayle captioned his Insta post.

Despite getting to play a game for KXIP this season, Gayle remains a crucial part of the team, as per opening batsman Mayank Agarwal. "Gayle is an integral part of KXIP whether playing or mentoring. He has been speaking to all of us, contributing in the batters' meeting and also sharing stuff which is crucial. I have had great conversations with Gayle. We first played together in RCB and just watching him play and chatting is fantastic," Agarwal had told ANI.

"Even here he told me don't have to do anything extraordinary, just keep trusting your skills and execute them. He asks me to go out and enjoy the game. Before the last game he said you are batting great and just look to get into good batting positions. If you are striking well, make sure you continue scoring runs. These are just a few of the many good things he keeps saying. He is just not helping me, but a lot of the batsmen."