Follow UsChris Gayle is an Indian Premier League (IPL) legend. The former West Indies batter has close to 5000 runs in the IPL at an average of 39.72 and a strike rate of almost 150. Gayle, who made most of those IPL runs for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), has the most number of sixes (357) in the tournament.
The left-handed batter got the better of most of the bowlers in the IPL, but former India opener Krishnamachari Srikkanth said whenever Gayle came face to face against R Ashwin, he used to look super scared.
"Chris Gayle could hit anyone for sixes and fours but all it took for Ashwin to dismiss him was four balls. When Ashwin got the ball in his hand, Gayle's legs started shaking," said Srikkanth during a book launch event in Chennai.
Ashwin has an impressive record against Gayle in the IPL. The offspinner has dismissed Gayle five times in 10 innings, with the West Indian averaging only 10.6 and striking at 82.8. No other bowler has dismissed Gayle more times than Ashwin in the IPL.
Ashwin will play for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the IPL 2025, a franchise for whom he made his IPL debut. The offspinner, who has retired from international cricket, was bought by CSK for INR 9.75 crore in the IPL 2025 mega auction.
Srikkanth welcomed Ashwin back to CSK and also complimented former CSK captain MS Dhoni for identifying his skills in his early years. "The man who identified him as a great T20 bowler was Dhoni. Ashwin has evolved from T20 to ODIs to Test in an amazing manner. He is not only a good bowler, but also a great batter," he added.
Five-time champions CSK will start their IPL 2025 campaign against their arch-rivals Mumbai Indians (MI) in Chennai on March 23 (Sunday).