IPL 2019: 5 mentor-protege battles to watch out for

#1 Chris Gayle vs Shimron Hetmeyer

Shimron Hetmyer receiving his ODI cap from Chris Gayle

Royal Challengers Bangalore made a clumsy decision to let go of Chris Gayle while he was still in his prime form. Kings XI Punjab took advantage of this to rope in the Universe Boss ahead of IPL 11. The Southpaw proved his worth for them by notching 368 runs in 11 matches.

Also, Chris Gayle hit a century in IPL 11. This shows that his age is not affecting his performance. The performances of Gayle must have made RCB regret their decision so they picked his young counterpart Shimron Hetmyer in IPL 12 auctions.

Shimron is an individual who idolizes Chris Gayle. He shared a distinctive 103 run-partnership with Chris Gayle against UAE in a World Cup qualifier match. After the match Hetmyer said,

"It was a fantastic feeling for me. I grew up from the tender age of probably five and even younger watching Chris on television and thinking of the day when I could be accompanying him at the crease”

Hetmyer also proved effective against India in the Windies tour of India 2018. He scored 259 runs in 5 ODIs becoming the most run scorer for West Indies in the ODI series. RCB management would want this youngster to recreate the magic of Chris Gayle in Bengaluru.