Chris Gayle is thankful to Virender Sehwag for "saving" the IPL. After becoming the first centurion this season, Gayle gave credit to Sehwag, the Kings XI Punjab team director, for buying him at the very last minute at the auction in February, after the Jamaican had gone unsold twice.

Gayle has now repaid that favour by helping Kings XI win their last two matches, in the process bagging two Man-of-the-Match awards. Having hit 63 against Chennai Super Kings on Sunday, Gayle went one better on Thursday, whipping the best bowling unit in the tournament to register his 21st T20 century.

Perched comfortably at the top with the most T20 runs to go with his record 21 hundreds, Gayle made it clear he had no point to prove to anybody. He also pointed out he was not hurt at not being picked the first two times his name was called during the auction. "I'm always determined," Gayle said at the post-match presentation. "A lot of people might say that Chris has a lot to prove [as he] didn't get selected or didn't get picked earlier in the auction. But I can say: Virender Sehwag, you saved IPL by picking me."

Gayle was happy that Kings XI and Sehwag understood his value as an impact player, but he hopes to outdo Sehwag's expectations. "This is a brilliant start. Man-of-the-match, back-to-back. Viru said in an interview if Chris Gayle can win in two games, he thinks he's got his money's worth. I'd like to have another word with Viru."

Gayle revealed that Sehwag's only serious suggestion to him was to work on his fitness and spend time working with a yoga instructor and a masseur. Otherwise, Sehwag only asked Gayle and the other batsmen to play with freedom. Hence Gayle is not surprised that Kings XI have the first centurion of the tournament and the batsman to hit the fastest 50 in IPL - KL Rahul, who achieved the landmark in 14 balls. "From the first game he [Sehwag] said: 'just go there and express yourself.' Within the team, we try to look at three things: entertainment, freedom and everybody should actually be outgoing. We are all proper batters to [be able to] go there and express ourselves. Rahul in the first game, fastest 50 in the IPL."

Having played in the IPL for such a long time, for different franchises, Gayle said he was well aware of the various conditions and the opposition bowlers and their plans, which made things easy for him on his day. Little wonder the slow and steady approach in the first half of Kings XI innings did not bother Gayle. "You kind of set up a game before you actually go out there. I know how you [the opposition] are going to go about it."

On Thursday, Gayle admitted in an interview with the IPL website that he paid respect to Bhuvneshwar Kumar, the "key bowler" for Sunrisers. In limited-overs internationals, Bhuvneshwar has got Gayle four times in 10 innings. Gayle eventually took 15 runs off the 10 deliveries he faced off Bhuvneshwar. But that was part of Gayle's "calculated" plans. He was happy to get momentum later on attacking other bowlers including Sunrisers' other key bowler, Rashid Khan, regarded the best legspinner in T20s.

By attacking a main bowler like Rashid, Gayle created havoc with Sunrisers' bowling plans. In normal circumstances, Rashid would have got one over during at death with Bhuvneshwar bowling the final over.

During the mid-innings break when Kevin Pietersen, a commentator with the host broadcaster, teased him saying everyone thought Gayle was too old, he hit back. "A lot of people thought I'm too old. After this innings there's nothing to prove. IPL and everyone around the world just put some respect on the name. Simple as that."

During the post-match presentation, Gayle reinforced that sentiment, suggesting he wanted to enjoy his game while earning further respect. "Time will wait for no one. I am not really here to prove anything. I've done it all before. Been there done that. Just put some respect on the name. And all the coaches as well - just put some respect as well."

Before he signed out, Gayle, even if he was joking, had one final warning for opposition franchises. "Don't forget the name. Put some respect on it."

A local coach has found an innovative way to deal with the lack of funds and support for women's cricket in Bangladesh. Muslim Uddin, who runs a training camp at the Shaheed Chandu Stadium in Bogra, a district town situated 200km north of Dhaka, has settled upon a toilet in the stadium to be his office and equipment storeroom.

Muslim, an assistant coach under the Bogra Sports Association, has been running this camp for the last 11 years. The camp was initially backed by the district women's sports body but after they pulled out of the programme, such was his commitment that he continued the training camp on his own volition. And with some success too - he has so far produced international cricketers such as Khadija Tul Kubra, Ritu Moni and Sharmin Akhter.

Women's cricket is still in its nascent stages in Bangladesh, with only a handful of districts like Bogra, Khulna, Rangpur, Gaibandha and Jessore thought to be serious about it. Dhaka, the capital, also has a few women's cricket training academies. Bogra stands out, mainly because of Muslim.

The toilet, as described in a Prothom Alo report earlier this week, is about 35-40 square feet in area. It has three stalls and a couple of sinks and mirrors. Bats, balls, stumps, nets and pads rest on top of the toilet seats while a vase adorns the flush tank. Pictures of cricketers hang on the wall. The sink is filled with cricket balls.

"We had another room which we had to give up," Muslim told Prothom Alo. "I asked for this toilet as it wasn't being used. My players and I really did a good job organising this room. We have been keeping our things here for the last three years."

Nazmul Abedeen Fahim, BCB's high performance manager now in charge of women's cricket, said characters like Muslim were making a difference in the development of women's cricket in Bangladesh.

"I know Muslim personally," he said. "Thankfully, he is not externally motivated, but internally motivated. He is happy at seeing his players develop into club-level and international-level cricketers."

Habibul Bashar, the Bangladesh selector who was on duty in Bogra during a first-class match last week, said Muslim's ingenuity at making catching bats and nets and other equipment for batting training was impressive.

"What he has so thoughtfully produced is very useful," Bashar said. "I am surprised to see that these can be made locally. I don't see much of a difference between what he has made and what the international teams even use."

It is estimated that currently around 300 female players take part in at least some training at all levels in Bangladesh, with 22 clubs in Dhaka running a two-tier league system. The BCB also has an eight-team division-level competition, and is now hoping to begin an Under-18 programme at the division level to create a pathway for budding cricketers.