IPL: 10 recipients of Man of the Tournament award

2011: Chris Gayle (Royal Challengers Bangalore)

After KKR chose to relieve themselves of Chris Gayle’s services, he went unsold in the 2011 IPL auction. An injury to Dirk Nannes led to the Bangalore franchise calling up Gayle as his replacement and what followed was nothing short of remarkable.

Joining late meant that Gayle got just 12 games to play for RCB. It didn’t affect the southpaw one bit as he still ended the league as the highest run scorer. The Jamaican scored 608 runs with an average of 67.55 at a mind-blowing strike-rate of 183.13.

During the tournament, he hit two centuries. The big man hit 44 sixes, 21 more than the second best in the tournament. Though RCB lost in the final, Gayle’s season remains one of the most impactful in IPL history.