The arrival of the Gayle Storm

The campaign had been lacklustre till that point. The team had lost 4 of the first five matches when one of the four key players for the team, Dirk Nannes was ruled out of the tournament, injured. Chris Gayle was available to be picked as a replacement. That was the beginning of the most genuine connections between a team and its fans.

Chris Gayle, a pure entertainer and an obvious choice for any T20 team, had for reasons unknown not been a huge success with his first team Kolkata Knight Riders. At the auction preceding the 2011 IPL edition, all the franchises, as if they had all conspired to avoid his destruction, had ignored the Caribbean King. But in life, some things are meant to be and can never be avoided. Chris Gayle was destined to be an RCB player.

Gayle had just finished partying in Jamaica at 3 AM when he received a call from RCB owners, asking if he’s fit to join the team. He didn’t even have a valid visa after getting snubbed at the auction, but things changed and Chris Gayle was in India within a week.

When Kolkata Knight Riders batted first and put on 171 on the board, the expectations were not high for RCB to chase the total down. However, Gayle had different ideas. A jet-lagged, tired, Chris Gayle opening the batting with Tilakaratne Dilshan, started off gently as his Sri Lankan partner took the initiative to score quickly. But it didn’t take Gayle long to get into his stride. And boy, when he did, there was nowhere to hide for the Kolkata bowlers. It did not matter whether it was pace or spin, Indian or overseas bowlers, Gayle treated everyone with equal disdain.

Chris Gayle’s arrival changed the fortunes of the team completely as RCB went on to reach the finals

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The fall of Dilshan’s wicket was the only success the Kolkata bowlers tasted, and it would not even turn out to be a consolation, as Gayle kept smashing the ball to all parts of the crowd. Gayle storm had lit up the Eden Gardens, and swept away the hosts as RCB romped home to a 9-wicket win, chasing down a respectable total with utter ease. 

The 55-ball knock of 102 runs, which included 10 boundaries and 7 hits over the fence had set the tone for what was to follow. Propelled by the confidence of the WestIndian on rampage, RCB’s campaign took off and the team never looked back. The season was one of the more successful ones in the franchise’s history as the team made the finals, losing only two matches on the way.

The impact Chris Gayle had, not only in 2011, but until his association with RCB ended in 2017, cannot be understated. The name Chris Gayle rang around the Chinnaswamy on a plethora of occasions in the following seven years. The innings against his former team where he announced his arrival signalled the beginning of a new chapter in RCB history. The Gayle storm had arrived!