Chris Gayle shrugs off poor form to smash 22-ball 84* in Abu Dhabi T10 match: WATCH

West Indies’ big-hitting barbarian Chris Gayle punched out an unbeaten 84* against the Maratha Arabians in the ongoing Abu Dhabi T10 League 2021 season on Wednesday, February 3. The cricketer faced just 22 balls in the process, clubbing six fours and nine sixes as he returned to his usual dominant form just before the Indian Premier League 2021 (IPL 2021) season. Arguably, being global franchise cricket's most prolific player of all-time, Gayle also won the ‘Player of the Match’ award for his match-winning contribution.

Abu Dhabi T10 League 2021: Chris Gayle speaks after destructive knock, watch video

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Abu Dhabi T10 League 2021: Chris Gayle delivers power-packed performance ahead of IPL 2021

Team Abu Dhabi’s star attraction Chris Gayle scored a 22-ball 84* to hand his side a nine-wicket victory over the Maratha Arabians. The left-handed opening batsman scored his runs at a strike-rate of 381.82. Team Abu Dhabi’s recent win places them at No.4 on the Super League points table as they compete to qualify for the Abu Dhabi T10 playoffs, scheduled to commence from Friday, February 5 onwards.

Here is a look at Chris Gayle’s 84-run blitzkrieg at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi –

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Chris Gayle in IPL 2021

Chris Gayle joined the Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) camp during the 2018 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The cricketer will now reprise his role for the franchise as he is expected to step onto the field in the upcoming much-awaited IPL 2021 event, reported to commence sometime in April this year.

KXIP list of retained players 2021

Chris Gayle was one of the 16 players to be retained by the franchise on January 20, i.e. ahead of the IPL auction. He will be re-joined by his KXIP skipper KL Rahul, national teammate Nicholas Pooran and star-attractions like Mohammed Shami and Chris Jordan in their camp this season. Here is a look at the entire list of KXIP retentions for the IPL 2021 season.

See KXIP list of retained players 2021

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IPL auction updates

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) recently set February 18 as the 2021 IPL auction date. The bidding event will be held in Chennai just a day after the conclusion of India vs England second Test match in the city’s venue. Here is a look at all the updates regarding the IPL 2021 auction event.

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Image source: T10 League Twitter