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Malinga was the toughest bowler I faced in T20 cricket, says Chris Gayle

Reflecting on his legendary career, the iconic West Indian power hitter Chris Gayle recently singled out Sri Lankan pace icon Lasith Malinga as the most formidable adversary he ever encountered in the shortest format. During their various head-to-head battles in the Indian Premier League, the destructive left-hander managed a modest 57 runs from 72 deliveries while getting dismissed once by the Mumbai Indians strike bowler.

Gayle confessed that Malinga's unique bowling mechanics and unreadable slower deliveries completely disrupted his usual aggressive mindset, forcing him to adopt an uncharacteristic defensive strategy of blocking and rotating the strike.

Throughout their respective stints in the tournament, both players cemented their status among the league's all-time greats. Malinga captured 170 scalps across 122 matches and secured four championship titles with his franchise, whereas Gayle amassed 4,965 runs, launched a record 357 maximums, and famously bludgeoned an unbeaten 175 off 66 balls against Pune Warriors during a 2013 fixture at M.

Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, setting the benchmark for the highest individual score in the competition.

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