Chris Gayle swings for the skies in the IPL

Chris Gayle/ paddynapper / flickr.com

Chris Gayle is a Jamaican cricketer who is renowned for his ability to get large amounts of runs. Gayle is an all-rounder, meaning he bowls and bats. Gayle has played as captain for the West Indies international team, but hasn't played since their test match against Sri Lanka in 2010, after having an argument with the West Indies Cricket Board. Gayle is trying to get picked up for the team, and his game play from last year might help him do that.

In the 2011 season, the Royal Challengers Bangalore lined up Gayle as a replacement for Dirk Nannes. This was the second game of the season and Gayle needed to make a big name for himself after struggling in the past few years of T20 international cricket. He started off the tournament with 102 rounds off of 55 balls, a century in the first game of the tournament.

Last season, Gayle led RCB to the finals with a plethora of sixes. He averaged a half century per game and had more sixes than fours. He was dominant enough that RCB took Nannes out as the opener and put Gayle instead. Every team in the IPL is scared to see Gayle crossing the boundaries. The fans are scared too, “Dearest gayle, I [sic] m [sic] comin [sic] to c [sic] u [sic] bat tonight at the wankhede.. plz [sic] dont [sic] break my Nose by those nuclear missiles,” said fan 786338sumeet on Twitter.

This season, Gayle is off to a hot start. Fast bowlers, spinners, coaches, and video analysts are all confused at how well Gayle can hit any ball with immense power. His tally for sixes in the season has risen to 37 after Wednesday’s game against the Mumbai Indians. He has 33 boundaries and took his run tally over 500. The 32- year old has already reached a century of sixes, the only man to do so in IPL history.

In the past few years, Gayle has not been stepping up on the West Indies team. He was replaced as opener by Adrian Barath and didn't seem to be interested in playing. Now, the West Indies team are the only people missing out. They have been missing Gayle in test matches, especially against powerhouses like Bangladesh and India.  Gayle has to talk with the West Indies Cricket Board, and if they have been watching RCB games, they’ll know that he has gotten better and that he is the hottest batsman in the world right now.