Royal Challengers Bangalore bank on 'silent beast' Chris Gayle

When Royal Challengers Bangalore host Mumbai Indians at the Chinnaswamy here on Thursday, the locals would want their ‘silent beast’ to roar again. Destructive to the core, his face hardly betrays a twitch whether the ball hits the boards or goes over the ropes. He’s a different man when he breaks into his favourite Gangnam Style jig, though.

With as many as 129 sixes in the kitty, West Indian superstar Chris Gayle is one of the most successful batsmen in the history of the Indian Premier League. To put it simply, his name is synonymous with the slam-bang version of cricket.

Bangalore have a problem, though. Their Indian recruits have always let them down. But there is no denying that Gayle is well and truly the side’s trump card. Many a time, the Jamaican has single-handedly taken his team home. The over-reliance on Gayle could hurt Bangalore.

Remember the 2011 final against MS Dhoni’s Super Kings? Gayle suffered a rare failure and that was that.

Virat Kohli is the leader of the pack, but Gayle will be the pivot around which Bangalore function. And if this West Indian soldiers on, then there’s not much anyone can do.

@manjukuttie