5 Biggest mistakes in IPL auction history

#4 Kolkata Knight Riders releasing Chris Gayle ahead of 2011 auction

Chris Gayle

'The Universe Boss' Chris Gayle, who was a part of the Kolkata Knight Riders during the first three editions, was released by the two-time winners ahead of the 2011 IPL auction. Surprisingly, he went unsold with a base price of $400,000 due to concerns that he would not be available for much of season 4 due to international commitments.

Later, he was drafted in as a replacement for the injured Dirk Nannes by Royal Challengers Bangalore.

With just one win in the first five matches, RCB were languishing at the bottom of the table before Gayle's arrival. But the big-hitting Jamaican made an immediate impact with his exploits, eventually finishing the season as the highest run-getter with 608 runs - a feat he repeated in the very next season by amassing 733 runs.

The vastly experienced Gayle went on to establish himself as a mainstay in the RCB XI in subsequent editions, scoring big at the top of the order before joining Kings XI Punjab in 2018.