5 best West Indian batsmen in IPL

#1 Chris Gayle (Kolkata Knight Riders, Royal Challengers Bangalore)

Gayle won the Orange Cap in the 2011 and 2012 editions of the IPL

With 3626 runs from 101 IPL matches, including five centuries, at an average of 41.20 and a strike rate in excess of 150, Chris Gayle is an IPL legend in his own right and the second-highest run-getter in terms of overseas players in the history of the competition.

After nearly missing out on the 2018 edition - he was picked up by Kings XI Punjab in the final round of the auctions - Gayle might just top the table at the end of the season, as his nearest competitor David Warner won't feature in the aftermath of the ball-tampering scandal.

Gayle started his IPL journey with KKR in 2008 but following three inconsistent seasons with the Kolkata-based franchise, found his way to RCB.

KKR's loss proved to be RCB's gain as Gayle unleashed his destructive potential to full effect for Virat Kohli's side.

Gayle scored 608, 733 and 708 runs respectively in the 2011, 2012 and 2013 editions of the IPL respectively to emerge as the most feared batsman in the competition.

He used the short boundaries at his home ground - the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore - to his advantage, single-handedly winning matches for his side whenever he got going.

Having won the Orange Cap in 2011 and 2012, Gayle's powers have been in decline over the past two seasons and he nearly missed out on this year's IPL as stated earlier.

However, there are very few batsmen who can take the match away from the opposition like Gayle can, and Kings XI will be hoping that their gamble on the Jamaican pays off.

Extra Cover: 5 reasons why Chris Gayle nearly missed an IPL contract