"I Was At A Nightclub...": Chris Gayle's Big Reveal On How RCB Approached Him In 2011
Former West Indies star and IPL great Chris Gayle recently revealed how he was approached to join Royal Challengers Bengaluru in 2011.
- Chris Gayle was approached by Royal Challengers Bengaluru mid-2011 after an injury to Dirk Nannes
- Gayle revealed that he was at a nightclub in Jamaica when he received a call from Vijay Mallya
- "Long story short, I was at a nightclub and that time, I wasn't playing any cricket," said Gayle
Former West Indies star and IPL great Chris Gayle recently revealed how he was approached to join Royal Challengers Bengaluru in 2011. Gayle was widely known as one of the biggest nightmare for the bowlers in both international and franchise cricket. He played 483 international games for West Indies and racked up 19,594 runs, including 42 centuries across all three formats. However, his contributions in the IPL for RCB will definitely go down as one of the most memorable chapters in the history of the T20 league.
Gayle's IPL journey began in 2009 with Kolkata Knight Riders. After playing their for two seasons, he was released by the franchise and surprisingly, went unsold during the 2011 mega auctions.
However, the fate had other plans in store because what happened next, completely changed the IPL's future forever. In the mid-season, RCB faced an injury blow and Dirk Nanes was ruled out of the tournament. It was then, the Bengaluru-based franchise turned up to Gayle.
Speaking about the moment when he got the call, Gayle said on Shubhankar Mishra's podcast, "2011, when I got a call, I was at a nightclub in Jamaica. Whatever happened with the breakdown with West Indies Cricket, where I was not even selected for a home series against Pakistan. Coming from a World Cup loss and then had an injury too. I was very disappointed. So, long story short, I was at a nightclub and that time, I wasn't playing any cricket.
"I got a call. It was Vijay Mallya and Anil Kumble. They asked me if I was fit. I was like, 'Is this for real?' I said, "Yes, I am fit". They said, 'If you're fit, what we need you to do is go to the embassy tomorrow and get the visa.' But I said tomorrow is Saturday. They said, 'Don't worry about that. Just turn up.' I turned up next day, got my visa and then took my flight and you know, Easter started from that time," he added.
IPL 2011 turned out to be a memorable one for Gayle as he scored 608 runs in 12 matches, including two centuries. He emerged as the highest run-scorer of the 2011 season, where RCB also finished as the runners-up.
Gayle's golden run continued in 2012, where he racked up 715 runs in 15 matches and again bagged the Orange Cap. In total, Gayle played 142 IPL matches and scored 4,965 runs with six centuries and 31 half-centuries to his name.
West Indies Cricket Team
Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Chris Gayle