Got Visa On A Saturday: Gayle Narrates Dramatic Call With Mallya, Kumble Before RCB Signing

Chris Gayle, the big West Indian marauder of the cricket ball, is widely known as one of the best signings in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL) by the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). The current defending champions signed Gayle ahead of the 2012 IPL as an injury replacement for the Netherlands and Australian pacer Dirk Nannes.

The signing was also crucial in the sense that Gayle was going through a very rough patch back then, having been removed from the national team, not being picked at the IPL auction and facing injury issues as well. It was then that he received a special call.

Narrating the story, Gayle on the Shubhankar Mishra Podcast said, “When I got a call, I was at a nightclub in Jamaica. Whatever happened with the breakdown with West Indies Cricket, where I was not even selected for a home series against Pakistan. Coming from a World Cup loss and then had an injury too. I was very disappointed. So, long story short, I was at a nightclub and, at that time, I wasn’t playing any cricket."

"I got a call. It was Vijay Mallya and Anil Kumble. They asked me if I was fit. I was like, ‘Is this for real?’ I said, “Yes, I am fit." They said, ‘If you’re fit, what we need you to do is go to the embassy tomorrow and get the visa.’ But I said tomorrow is Saturday. They said, ‘Don’t worry about that. Just turn up.’ I turned up the next day, got my visa and then took my flight and, you know, Easter started from that time,” said the RCB legend.

If not for that unusual, dramatic signing, it might not have been possible for Gayle to be the top six-hitter in the league. Even before the impact player rule, Gayle was the best player with an impact on the game.

The Jamaican ended his IPL career in 2021 with 4965 runs in 141 innings at an average of 39.72 and a strike rate of 148.96. His 357 sixes in the league are highly unlikely to be broken by anyone soon.

Click here to read article