(UTV | DUBAI) – Punjab Kings’ Chris Gayle has left the Indian Premier League bubble to “mentally recharge and refresh” before joining the West Indies for the T20 World Cup.
Gayle cited spending time in bubbles for the Caribbean Premier League and now the IPL over the last few months for his decision.
The 42-year-old has scored 193 runs, at 21.44, in this year’s IPL.
West Indies’ first game in the World Cup is against England on 23 October.
In a statement on Punjab Kings’ Twitter, Gayle also said: “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. My wishes and hopes are with the squad always. All the very best for the upcoming games.”
Punjab are sixth in the eight-team table and face the prospect of having to win their final three games to reach the knockout stage.
Gayle is the leading run-scorer in Twenty20 history, having scored 14,276 runs in 440 innings. He has scored 1,854 runs in 70 innings for West Indies, and was part of the team that won the 2012 and 2014 editions of the T20 World Cup.