"Even Shubman Gill can do that" - Chris Gayle backs next-gen stars to break his massive IPL record

Former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batter Chris Gayle has backed three Indian players and one retired West Indies cricketer to break his record for the highest individual score in T20 cricket. Playing for RCB during the 2013 IPL, Gayle smashed an unbeaten 175 off 66 balls, hitting 13 fours and 17 sixes against the Pune Warriors at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

On Sunday, September 7, Shubhankar Mishra shared a video on his YouTube channel featuring Gayle as the guest. During the conversation, the 45-year-old was asked about the candidates who could potentially break this record. Gayle responded:

“I think it will happen in the IPL because these youngsters are savage these days. You look at the scoring rate as well, how these guys are scoring. Nicholas Pooran, I think, even Shubman Gill can do that as well because he’s a very, very good player. And once you get going, Yashasvi Jaiswal. Well, I like Jaiswal as well. This other guy from SRH, Abhishek Sharma.”

Meanwhile, he also recounted the anecdote of receiving his RCB call-up during the 2011 IPL season. Gayle went unsold in the auction but later joined the team as a replacement for the injured Dirk Nannes. Recalling the moment, he said:

“I was in the nightclub, you know, pretty much back, but I wasn’t trained. I wasn’t playing any cricket at all. In the nightclub, I got a call. Who was it on the line? It was Vijay Mallya and Anil Kumble at the time. I’m like, 'Okay, Chris, are you fit?' I’m like, 'Is this for real? Yeah, I’m fit.' They said, 'Okay, if you’re fit, what we need you to do is go to the embassy tomorrow and get your visa, man.'"

"I said, 'Hey, tomorrow’s Saturday, the embassy doesn’t open on a Saturday.' They said, 'Don’t worry about that, just turn up.' I said, 'Okay, done.' You know, I turned up, went to the embassy, got the visa the next day, pretty much on a flight. And then, you know, history started from there in 2011," he added.

During his IPL career, Gayle played 85 matches for RCB, scoring 3,163 runs at an average of 43.33 and a strike rate of 152.73, including 19 fifties and five centuries.

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“That’s when I came up with the idea” - Chris Gayle opens up about his attire during the IPL 2025 final

Chris Gayle was in attendance during the IPL 2025 final between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Punjab Kings. He wore an RCB jersey along with a Sikh turban to show his support for both his former franchises. Explaining the idea behind it, he said:

“You know, that final, I got invited by RCB, to be honest with you. And like I said, I’m so happy to have both teams in the final because both teams had actually never crossed the finishing line or lifted the trophy. So I’m like, I’m happy. I’ve represented both teams, so I’m like, wow. I know RCB said, 'Chris, you’re invited to the final,' and I accepted that and everything. Got my RCB jersey, and I’m like, 'Oh man, I’m just going to feel weird in that stadium.'"

“So I said, 'Okay, what am I going to do?' That’s when I came up with the idea and said, 'Okay, I’m going to put on the turban and support.' But some people didn’t take it nicely. Some people from the RCB side weren’t too happy about the turban as well. But like I said, yo, it’s the one and only Universe Boss. I’m just going to be me, and whether you accept it or not, I’m just going to be me. I went on and was like, 'Okay, whoever wins, I’ll congratulate them.' But I’m happy for RCB to cross that line after 18 years,” he added.

Meanwhile, RCB defeated the Kings by six runs to secure their maiden IPL championship.