IPL History: Seven replacement signings that worked wonders for franchises

#2 Chris Gayle replaced Dirk Nannes (Royal Challengers Bangalore, 2011)

Gayle became the face of RCB

2011 IPL auctions served a big surprise as Chris Gayle went unsold as teams keeping his probable international commitments in mind decided not to opt for him. But following his fallout with Windies Cricket Board and an injury to Dirk Nannes, he was available and Royal Challengers Bangalore snapped him.

He went on to change the face of RCB, as he scored tons and tons of runs for the franchise. He was the Orange Cap holder in the 2011 and 2012 seasons. In fact, his first three years in RCB throwed up some staggering numbers; reading 43 matches, 2049 runs with four 100s and 14 50s.

In 2013, he smashed 175 runs off 66 balls against Pune Warriors. The knock included a plethora of records like the fastest T20 hundred (30 balls), most sixes in an innings (17), most runs in boundaries (154). Gayle was the face of the team as his flamboyance became the flavor of the franchise.