Punjab Kings Is The Way To Go - Chris Gayle 'Absolutely Loves' The New Name Of The Franchise

Swashbuckling batsman, Chris Gayle feels content with the new name of his IPL franchise. On Wednesday, a day before the IPL 2021 auction, Kings XI Punjab Co-owner Priety Zinta has announced the renaming of the franchise as ‘Punjab Kings’ and the initials will be used as PBKS, along with unveiling a new logo also.

The franchise will hope for better fortunes and more success with a new name. Punjab is not the first team to make changes to their team name. Rising Pune Supergiants, after finishing in the bottom half of the table in 2016, dropped the last s from Supergiants to Supergiant and reached the final next season. Dehli Daredevils, with new owners, was re-branded as Delhi Capitals and achieved instant success with reaching the playoffs in 2019 and then to their maiden final last year.

Punjab has made it to the playoffs just twice in 13 editions of the tournament – they lost in the semi-finals in 2008 and then lost to KKR in the final in 2014.

Ahead of the auction, captain KL Rahul, Chris Gayle, and Priety Zinta spoke with Star Sports about the new name and logo of the team.

“I liked the name Kings XI but the team is a lot more than just 11 players. We are supposed to be like a family, supposed to feel like a family, supposed to feel like a whole unit. I am quite confident that the change in name will bring us good fortune this year,” KL Rahul said.

It’s good to have a change as well: Chris Gayle

Chris Gayle agrees with his skipper in the thought that a team is more than just the 11 players on the field. The 41-year-old has been with the franchise for the last three seasons; in 31 matches he averages 40 at a strike rate of 146.73, he has harrumphed 10 fifties and a hundred playing for Punjab.

Chris Gayle further reckons that removing the ‘XI’ from the name will get other people in the squad also involved and that a change is a good thing sometimes.

“Absolutely, I love it. Sometimes, it’s good to have a change as well. I like what KL said. It’s not about the 11 players. It’s going to get everyone more involved. Punjab Kings is the way to go,” the Jamaican said.

Speaking of the auction, Punjab Kings have the biggest purse – Rs 53.20 crore – of all 8 franchises after releasing big-money signings like Glenn Maxwell and Sheldon Cottrell from the last auction.

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