IPL: 5 Times when a batsman’s cautious approach cost his team the game

3. Chris Gayle- 10(24) against MI (2015)

Being the universal boss of T20 cricket, Chris Gayle has been a legendary name when it comes to the shortest format. The Jamaican batsman can destroy any bowling attack and can clear any boundary rope on a cricket field. However, when it comes to this special game, Gayle seemed to be in a state of woe in terms of his batting.

To win their first-ever game of the 2015 season, the MI team had posted a mammoth target of 209 runs and in reply, Gayle was expected to give a soaring start to the RCB team. To take advantage of the power play, Gayle, off his second ball, was dropped by Lendl Simmons which during that period looked like a costly miss for MI. However, in reality, Gayle had a strenuous time while facing MI bowlers as in his 24-ball affair, he barely fetched a boundary. A maiden over of Lasith Malinga further rattled his batting rhythm and in no time, Gayle became the prey of Harbhajan Singh.

All in all, because of his sluggish batting, RCB could only accumulate 48 runs from their first eight overs and with wickets being lost at constant intervals, the game seemed to be in MI’s favour. In the end, RCB lost the game by a margin of 18 runs thus making Gayle’s 24-ball 10 the biggest talk of the match.