I was RCB's biggest draw, it was disappointing not to be retained - Chris Gayle

In 2011, Chris Gayle, having spent three seasons with Kolkata Knight Riders, surprisingly remained unsold during IPL players' auction. He had written off the IPL that year and was getting ready to resume international duty for Windies, who were scheduled to take on Pakistan. But then, out of the blue, Gayle received a call from Royal Challengers Bangalore, who had named him as a replacement for Dirk Nannes after the left-armer was ruled out of the season with a side strain. The rest, as they say, is history. Not only did Gayle end up becoming RCB's most impactful player with 3163 runs across seven seasons, his stint also played a crucial role in making RCB a widely-followed franchise.