RCB shuns Gayle: Has the 'Gaylestorm' finally subsided?

Finally, Chris Gayle gets picked by Kings XI Punjab for Rs 2 Crore, and he will get a chance to feature in this edition of the league. When KXIP let everyone know they were going for Gayle, the other team owners applauded the decision. Gayle will bring the fun factor into the IPL as he has done in the past.

This brings us to the question as to why Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) did not retain their big-hitter Chris Gayle? 

Do not forget that Gayle, at his best, is destructive. He is the first player to have scored a century in international Twenty20 cricket; the only man to score seven or more tons in the Twenty20 format, and is the leading six-hitter in Twenty20s.

This Jamaican batsman is all about power and natural force. Besides playing for his home team, Jamaica, in the Caribbean Twenty20 competition and the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL, Gayle plays for various T20 franchises around the world.

But if you see his stats since 2014 IPL, has he been a hit or a miss? He scored in 2–3 matches, but flopped in others. When they had the option to retain two of the best batsmen in the game, why would they spend an extra 8 crore on someone, who is no more in his prime?

IPL's retention policy also offered a 3-year contract to the retained players. This means Chris Gayle, who is 38 currently, will be turning 41 at the end of his contract and won't be a great asset to the team. 

Considering this, I think it was quite expected that Gayle wouldn't be retained for this IPL. He was eventually purchased in the auction by Kings XI Punjab against whom he has scored plenty of runs over the years. 

But it would be interesting to see how people of Bengaluru would welcome him when he plays in the opposition at the Chinnaswamy stadium.

• Indian Premier League
• IPL 2018 auction
• Royal Challengers Bangalore
• Chris Gayle