Six times Chris Gayle went on a rampage in IPL

Chris Gayle opened his account in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2015 with a match-winning 96 against the Kolkata Knight Riders. Some felt the big-hitting West Indian’s powers were on the wane but this is a reminder of his hitting ability. Nishad Pai Vaidya lists six other Gayle storms in the IPL that left the cricketing fraternity in awe.

175 not out vs Pune Warriors India, IPL 2013

This knock undoubtedly takes the top spot for its sheer audacity. How can a man score 175 not out in a 20-over game! On this day, Gayle was a man possessed and smashed just about everything out of the park. No superlatives are enough to describe the sheer hitting power. All that the bowlers and fielders could do was watch the ball sail into the stands. Gayle got his ton in a mere 30 balls, and his 150 in 53 balls. As many as 17 sixes came off his bat. To put things in perspective, his opening partner, Tillakaratne Dilshan, scored only 33 runs in a 150-run stand! Gayle’s bizarre knock took Royal Challengers Bangalore to 263. Pune Warriors India remained invisible in the contest.

128 not out vs Delhi Daredevils, IPL 2012

The 2012 season was perhaps Gayle’s best year in the IPL. The Delhi Daredevils were the victims of his assault at the Feroz Shah Kotla. No ground is big for a man of Gayle’s power and the small boundaries at the Kotla looked even smaller as he carted his way to 128 not out. Gayle smashed 128 not out off only 62 balls, hitting 13 sixes along the way. It was a demoralising sight for the bowlers as he dismissed everything from his presence. Bangalore went on to score 215 for one in their 20 overs, which couldn’t be chased by Delhi.

44 vs Kochi Tuskers Kerala, IPL 2011

Although this is a sub-50 score, this innings was audacious in its own right. Kochi Tuskers Kerala struggled when they batted first and scored only 125. Gayle then walked out and gave them a pounding during his 16-ball innings of 44. From the outset, Kochi never had hope when he got going. The man who took most of the pounding was the left-arm seamer, Prasanth Parameswaran. He conceded 37 runs off one of the early overs. Since there was a no-ball in the over, those 37 runs came off seven deliveries. The sequence for that over was: 4, 6 (no-ball), 4, 4, 6, 6, 4. Gayle was bowled in the fourth over, but by then, Bangalore had overhauled half the target.

89 vs Mumbai Indians, IPL 2011

In the second qualifier, Gayle gave Mumbai no chance of victory when he mauled their bowling attack early in the innings. Mumbai made the big mistake of starting proceedings with Abu Nechim Ahmed and not Lasith Malinga. Gayle made them pay severely as he started his assault from the first over. Mayank Agarwal gave him good company as they scored over a 100 in the first ten overs. Gayle’s innings of 89 featured nine fours and five sixes. He was dismissed in the 15th over, by which time Bangalore were touching 150. Although they couldn’t score more than 185, Mumbai were demoralised by the Gayle storm and didn’t challenge the total.

107 vs Kings XI Punjab, IPL 2011

Gayle’s second century in the IPL 2011. Kings XI Punjab had no answer to Gayle’s power on the day. He walked out all guns blazing and hit 107 off only 49 balls. The next highest score for Bangalore was 27, as they put up a total of 205 for six. Gayle carted nine sixes and ten fours during his innings. Now bowler was able to stem the flow of runs. Although they picked a few wickets at the other end, Gayle had done all the damage. In fact, he was dismissed in the 15th over. Had he batted on for the last five, he could have scored a lot more and heaped the misery on Punjab. The effort looked a lot more respectable for them when they got him out.

81 vs Pune Warriors India, IPL 2011

Chasing 183 to win the game, Gayle held the Bangalore innings together. This was one of his more sensible knocks, but 81 off 48 balls may not reflect that. This makes it to the list, thanks to one over from Rahul Sharma, where he was smashed for five sixes. Rahul had made a name for himself in the IPL of being a tight bowler with great control. All that was put to the sword by Gayle who regained momentum for Bangalore. Although he was dismissed when Bangalore still had work to do, they managed to cross the line in the final over with Saurabh Tiwary and AB de Villiers scripting their own heroics.

(Nishad Pai Vaidya is a Correspondent with CricketCountry and anchor for the site’s YouTube Channel. His Twitter handle is @nishad_45. The above article was first published in CricketCountry)