Chris Gayle could be out of the first edition of the IPL © Getty Images Enlarge

Chris Gayle has been ruled out of the first edition of the Indian Premier League after failing to recover from a groin injury that he sustained during the recent series against Sri Lanka, the Kolkata based Telegraph reported.

Gayle sustained the injury in the third ODI in St Lucia, limping off with a groin strain shortly after finishing his bowling stint. He missed Kolkata's first two games - in Bangalore at at home - before he was declared unavailable for the rest of the tournament as well.

However a spokesman for the franchise said a final decision was yet to be made. "He's injured but he's still not out of the tournament," he said. "No decision has been made yet."

Gayle, along with three other West Indies players, were supposed to return to the Caribbean on May 18, in time for their series against Australia. It was reported that Gayle will be coming to the city first week of May to spend some time with the Kolkata team.