Former England captain Kevin Pietersen said Chris Gayle must have not felt right in the Punjab Kings set-up before he decided to pull out from the remainder of IPL 2021, citing bio-bubble fatigue. Gayle made the decision to pull out of PBKS’ remaining campaign on September 30, saying he needed to give himself a break before the T20 World Cup campaign for the West Indies.

Kevin Pietersen highlighted that PBKS did not give Chris Gayle a game on his 42nd birthday last month. Gayle played only two out of PBKS’s three matches in the UAE leg of IPL 2021. The West Indies star did not make good use of the opportunity as he managed just 1 and 14 in the two said games.

KKR vs PBKS Live Updates IPL 2021 Match 45

Gayle did not make the impact that he is known for in T20s for PBKS in IPL 2021 as the legendary batsman played 10 matches and managed just 193 runs at an average of little over 20.

“He is not being treated right in his environment. He feels like they are using him and getting rid of him, using him and getting rid of him. Didn’t play him on his birthday, cast him aside. If he is not happy, he is 42, let him do what he wants,” Pietersen said on Star Sports on Friday.

Making his decision to withdraw from PBKS’ campaign ahead of their big game against KKR, Gayle said: “I wish to mentally recharge and refresh myself. I want to refocus on helping the West Indies in the T20 World Cup and would like to take a break in Dubai. My thanks to the Punjab Kings for giving me the time off.”

Gayle has been part of bio-bubbles constantly since cricket resumed amid the pandemic. He was part of the IPL 2020 bio-bubble with PBKS. He was also part of the West Indies squads for their home games against Sri Lanka and Australia. That was immediately followed by CPL 2021 bio-bubble.

Notably, Gayle has been picked for West Indies’s T20 World Cup campaign as well.

PBKS will miss game-changer Gayle: Gavaskar

Meanwhile, Sunil Gavaskar pointed out that PBKS will miss the presence of Gayle in their camp for the remainder of the season. PBKS need to win all of their next 3 matches to stand a chance of making the play-offs of IPL 2021.

“A game-changer like Chris Gayle, if he is not in the team, 100 percent it’s a big loss. I think he is in and out of the team. I don’t know what the calculations are.

“Clearly only 4 overseas players can play but sometimes when you see the player who has picked in his place, knowing what he has delivered in the past And sure, he is over 40 and he might not be able to do it at a consistent level that he used to do. But he is a game-changer. 3 overs of Gayle storm and the game is gone from the opposition,” Gavaskar said.