"SKY - 9, Hardik Pandya - 7, Rishabh Pant...": Gayle Rates Top India Stars

Chris Gayle, during his time at the IPL, was a crowd entertainer. His score of 175* against Pune Warriors India at the IPL 2013 is still the highest score by a batter in the IPL. Gayle has played for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Kings XI Punjab and Kolkata Knight Riders. His knowledge about Indian cricket is great. So, when the West Indies great was asked about rating Indian players, the replies were really interesting.

"Ruturaj Gaikwad 7. Yashasvi Jaiswal. I won't give him maximum but 9. Shubman Gill - these guys are youngsters so not giving them maximum, they are phenomenal players, will give him a 9 too. Abhishek Sharma. Super talented guy, I am going to give him 8. KL Rahul - 8. Suryakumar Yadav - 9. Hardik Pandya - 7. Shreyas Iyer - 8. Rishabh Pant - 8," Chris Gayle said on Inside Sports.  

Chris Gayle has also backed CSK's MS Dhoni, who has been criticised for coming lower down the order.  

"With Dhoni, he brings a lot of value to the IPL. You want to see him as long as possible and want him to stay. You don't want to push him. When you start to hear that noise, people are going to send a wrong message to such a great player and a great person. You don't want to send such a message to a guy like Dhoni because he brings so much value in IPL," Chris Gayle told Inside Sport.

"For someone who has won the championship so many times, if he goes from the IPL, it will take a little bit of drop. What he has done for his franchise it is fantastic. Wherever CSK plays in India, it is all about the Whistle Podu. That is the power and that is what he brings to the IPL."

"His wicketkeeping is still one of the best, he is still very sharp. It is about how he plays for the team and how they are going to use him. Everybody wants to see Dhoni. So, it doesn't matter where he bats for me, even at number 11, as long as people get a glimpse of Dhoni, still to be a part of CSK and the IPL," Gayle added.

Chennai Super Kings coach Stephen Fleming has explained MS Dhoni's batting arrivals saying that they should not expect the former skipper to walk in to bat around the 9th or 10th over mark in the ongoing IPL 2025 season following their six-run loss against Rajasthan Royals on Sunday. Coming to bat at No. 7, Dhoni scored just 16 runs off 11 balls while chasing 183 at Barsapara Cricket Stadium in Guwahati as CSK suffered their second successive loss of the season.