Greatest players in the history of IPL #8 - Chris Gayle

Rewind 8 years – It was the 2011 IPL Auction taking place in Bangalore, which received very little attention as the entire country was gearing up the greatest cricketing spectacle, the ICC World Cup. But there were a number of surprises at the auction hall which dragged the fans on to the TV sets to watch the bidding. One of the biggest surprises was Chris Gayle going unsold.

Seriously? Christopher Henry Gayle, one of the most destructive cricketers in the history found no buyers? Yes, that’s true! But it didn’t take long for all the franchises to repent their decision to write-off the Caribbean legend. RCB‘s foreign recruit Dirk Nannes was ruled out of the tournament due to an injury and the Bangalore club wasted no time in roping Gayle into their side.

The rest, as they say, is history! Gayle announced his arrival with an absolutely stunning rendition of power-hitting against the Kolkata Knight Riders, the club he had represented in the 2009 and 2010 seasons. He smashed a hundred literally off the very first game he played for the Royal Challengers Bangalore and that marked the commencement of a new era in IPL.

Although Gayle played some decent knocks with the Kolkata Knight Riders, he never really had a great impact on the franchise. But when it comes to RCB, he was pivotal in making the club one of the biggest and grandiose cricketing units ever. In his very first season with Bangalore, he won the Orange Cap, blasting 608 runs in just 12 games. Bangalore reached the final that season but lost to Chennai Super Kings in Chennai.

The Gayle-Storm only got bigger and better

The 2012 edition was probably Gayle’s best one with the bat. The Windies opener managed to annihilate everyone who came his way as the great man kept knocking boundaries for fun and amassing runs was as easy as a walk in the park. This was the time when Gayle was being hailed as the finest batsman in the history of the shortest format.

Although RCB failed to make it to the playoffs, Gayle was a million miles away from the rest when it came to the highest run-scorers list. He scored 733 runs that season at an average of 61.08 and he scored those many runs at a strike-rate of 160.74. For two consecutive seasons, Gayle was awarded the Orange cap for his remarkable consistency.

The 2013 season was famously remembered for his knock against Pune Warriors India, where he dismantled the bowling lineup more brutally than ever before. He scored 175 runs off 66 balls, which still happens to be the highest-individual score in T20 cricket history. He once again managed to score over 700 runs in that season, becoming the only player to score 700+ runs in two consecutive seasons. This record still remains intact.

The 2014 season was a forgettable one for the Universe Boss, but he got back to his best in 2015, where he collected 491 runs in 14 games. One regret for the T20 King would be that he never managed to win a Trophy with RCB. If only he had an IPL trophy in his cabinet, his rank would’ve been much better on this phenomenal list.

From the Gangnam-style dances to many more epic celebrations, the entertainment Gayle provided wearing the red jersey is unfathomable. Loved and revered by millions across the globe, Gayle registered 3,626 runs in 101 IPL matches. This Windies legend will now be representing Kings XI Punjab in the upcoming season and it’ll be interesting to see how the veteran fares.

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