IPL: 5 best purchases by Royal Challengers Bangalore over the years

3. Chris Gayle

After going unsold at the 2011 IPL auction, Chris Gayle was written off by nearly everyone. But out of the blue, he was called up by RCB as the replacement for Dirk Nannes, who had pulled out due to an injury.

Gayle made the most of the opportunity, scoring amazing tons against KKR and KXIP in his debut season for the franchise. He went on to win the Orange Cap that season, scoring over 600 runs in 12 matches.

His contribution took RCB to the final, where they lost out to CSK.

Gayle continued his dominant stint in the shortest format, scoring 733 runs (14 matches) in the following season and grabbing the Orange Cap once again. On 23rd of April 2013, his knock of 175* in 66 balls broke multiple records.

Even though he was not retained by RCB in the 2018 auction, he still remains one of the most impactful players to have ever represented a team. He slammed over 3000 runs across seven seasons, with five centuries and 19 half-centuries. He was also handy when the captain needed a 6th bowler to control the run flow.

The Jamaican giant will definitely go down as one of the best players, not only for RCB but also for IPL.