Chris Gayle and the IPL - Phew, it was pure box office

It’s the 2010s. The Indian Premier League (IPL) has grown exponentially since its inception and has made countless cities fall in love with countless cricketers. Not only has the IPL become the biggest cricketing market, it has slowly but surely established itself as one of the best leagues on the planet.

For a few, though, there still seems to be something missing. The crowd interaction, the excitement for games and the mind-boggling economic numbers involved, remains unparalleled. But there is a slight void.

You, along with a bunch of friends, decide to embark on a visit to the famous Cubbon Park in Bengaluru, hoping that the serene surroundings would provide them some sort of understanding on why the IPL has become such a hit.

When entering, you witness a massive gathering outside the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. You know the IPL is a big deal but you still can’t fathom the craze around the Chinnaswamy.

One individual quips that it is the sheer volume of top-level cricketers that attracts people to the IPL, whereas another opines that the marriage of cricket, glitz and glamour is responsible for the fandom.

You, though, still feel this isn’t quite the answer you are looking for. Just as you start arguing your case, a white spherical object, armed with an extraordinary projectile motion, hovers into your vision.

At first, you hope that this is finally the UFO people have been talking about. But you are disappointed because, well, it is only a cricket ball – a ball that has, mind you, travelled more than 100 metres to land at Cubbon Park. You quickly gaze around to see if any kids are playing. But there aren’t any.

A moment later, another white spherical object comes plummeting towards you. Ultimately, you have two cricket memorabilia without really knowing how it has found its way to you.

It doesn’t even evoke an expression. But then, almost metaphorically, a message appears like it does when Harry Potter is handed over the golden snitch he caught in his first Quidditch game. And, a few words appear – “With Love, Chris Gayle”.

Immediately, you ask those around you what it means. Each has an answer, but before they can mutter it, an almost magical feeling engulfs you. All of a sudden, you are part of the Royal Challengers Bangalore cricketing folklore and Gayle, like he has been for billions of people, becomes a part of life. Or, in other words, becomes a lifestyle.

You are no longer questioning why the IPL is what it is. Instead, you are marveling at how a single individual (Gayle in this case) can make you fall in love with a game that you felt you weren’t interested in. The answer isn’t straightforward but therein lies Gayle’s genius and his ascent to be one of the greatest cult heroes the Indian cricketing community has seen. Ever.

Over the years, the West Indian has thrilled countless audiences at several different venues. Quite often, his belligerence with the bat has stood out and his ability to tear any bowling attack to smithereens is the stuff of legend.

But this article isn’t about what Gayle did on the field. He did quite a lot, make no mistake about it. It’s just that it is equally crucial to remember the charisma, the entertainment and the sheer unpredictability he brought to the fore every time he strode out.

Chris Gayle enjoyed a storied IPL career

Gayle’s IPL journey, though, didn’t begin on the right note. He was part of the Kolkata Knight Riders but didn't make much of an impact, meaning that he went unsold when the 2011 IPL Auction came to town.

At the time, it took many by surprise because he was one of the most destructive white-ball batters on the planet. But the dwindling returns in the IPL told a different story – a story almost all franchises were willing to buy into.

And then, as fate would have it, RCB suffered a spate of injuries and were left with no other alternative than to bring Gayle on board. He was, at that stage, still seething from his omission, meaning that when he made his presence felt (ironically against KKR), he ensured the rest of the IPL stood up and took notice too.

Gayle single-handedly powered RCB to the final in the 2011 edition of the cash-rich league and plundered numerous records on his way to ultimate stardom. That, though, from a non-statistical perspective, taught billions across India that it is fine to be rejected, as long as you are able to tell them what they missed out on initially.

The only problem (not for the Punjab Kings and the RCB but for the rest) was that Gayle took that exclusion to heart for almost the remainder of his IPL career. He rocked up, let his hair down, carried a bat that reflected his dominant personality and obliterated bowling attacks.

The Jamaican was an entertainer through and through (Pic Credits: Youtube Cricbuzz)

So much so that anyone who watched/witnessed/participated in a fixture involving Gayle, knew that they had been to a game. Not just because of the damage he was capable of inflicting, but also because of the magnetism of his personality.

The Jamaican was, in many ways, the ideal overseas player for the IPL. He brought an innate flamboyance and was the bundle of entertainment people craved when watching the shortest format.

There were days when he failed (it happened quite often towards the end of his career) too. But they were always sprinkled with the sort of infectious enthusiasm that makes your inner soul pray for Gayle to succeed. And when he came out of the traps, well, you can imagine what might’ve happened.

It wouldn’t be a stretch to suggest that the IPL became a bigger package when Gayle was in his pomp. The likes of AB de Villiers, Gautam Gambhir, MS Dhoni, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Virat Kohli, Virender Sehwag and Yuvraj Singh have been synonymous with the league. But none, even by their own admission, was as box-office as Gayle.

More importantly, though, the Jamaican did everything with a smile on his face. He could’ve been going through the worst spell of his batting career but no one could ever have guessed looking at his demeanor. He was always bubbly, cheerful (too cheerful at times) and always illustrated that there was more to life than just cricket.

The term ‘larger than life’ is used for a lot of people around the world. Gayle, though, fits that bit as perfectly as any on the planet. As long as he was there, you knew things were going to be fun. If not with the bat, then with the kind of energy he exerted on the field. There are no two ways about it too.

Which takes us back to the 2010s and a serene night at Cubbon Park, where a group of friends were encapsulated by the Gayle storm. Back then, it didn’t seem a lot. If anything, it felt like just another cricketer was plying his trade and was enthralling the audience with his sheer skill.

That, though, 12 years down the line, couldn’t have beenfurtherr from the truth. Gayle was, is and will remain the greatest entertainer to have graced these shores. Anyone arguing against it is probably kidding themselves.

When the Gayle storm hit, bowlers scurried for every bit of shelter they could find. Fans did it too because white spherical objects regularly came their way. But that wave was also symbolic of freedom – freedom that Gayle’s batting epitomized and freedom that became a lifestyle, where everything could be done with a smile on your face.

Most tellingly, though, it unified a generation, irrespective of whether they were present at Cubbon Park discussing the most trivial of things or if they were shouting their lungs out at the Chinnaswamy. It wasn’t quite love at first sight but it was love that will outlast time.

Thus, the most unfortunate bit is that it might not be relived at all henceforth, considering Gayle has reportedly not registered himself for the upcoming IPL Auction.

But even this can be handled with a sheepish grin. Not because it has attained closure but because of what it was when it was in full flow. Back then, oh, it was some journey - the anticipation, the delirium, the disappointment, the exhilaration, the zeal, the zest and above all, the emotion.

The list of adjectives is, in fact, endless. So, it is only fair that a few simpler words are used to describe Gayle’s IPL journey, and of course, the ball is thrown back into the Chinnaswamy and framed in a museum.

With Love and ever-lasting gratitude,

The IPL and billions of Indians