<p>Founder of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and its former chairman <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/sports/cricket/ipl-2026-would-have-banned-sanjiv-goenka-if-i-was-chairman-lalit-modi-on-lsg-chiefs-fury-at-pant-3954808">Lalit Modi </a>has shared interesting insider story on how one of the world's most popular cricketers, Chris Gayle became a part of arguably the most popular team in the tournament - Royal Challengers Bengaluru (<a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/sports/cricket/fit-again-josh-hazlewood-raring-to-strike-it-hard-3972036">RCB</a>).</p><p>On a recent podcast episode with former England cricketer Michael Vaughn, Modi revealed how Gayle approached him during his desperate days after no team accepted him in the 2011 auction. According to Modi, Gayle confided in him about the debts he had to pay off, something which forced him to reach out.</p><p>"I had just left the IPL, come back to London, and my good friend Chris Gayle wasn't picked up at the auction. I get a call from him that nobody's picked me up at the auction. I said, you didn't perform," Modi shared with Vaughn. </p><p>"He said, 'I have a huge debt coming and I need to pay my bills.' I made a few calls. Call one, two, three - everybody said no," he added. </p>.Royal Challengers Chennai, Bengaluru Indians? IPL founder Lalit Modi reveals Vijay Mallya, Mukesh Ambani's bids in 2008.<p>Lucky for Gayle, RCB had a vacancy after Dirk Nannes sustained injury ahead of the tournament. </p><p>Modi said he approached RCB owner and business tycoon Vijay Mallya asking him to give the West Indies legend a chance in his team. </p><p>"I went across the road to Vijay Mallya's house. I said, Vijay, give this bloke a try. He said, I have an opening, but I'll pay him if he performs. I told Chris, go there and perform. He wrote his own chequebook. He wrote his own life. He never looked back after that. He got a multi-million dollar contract," said Modi. </p><p>Gayle's tenure with RCB lasted seven seasons until 2017. The 2011 season was a comeback for Gayle as he was the leading run-scorer (608 runs) and helped his team reach the IPL final. Unfortunately, RCB lost the final to Chennai Super Kings by 58 runs. </p><p>In 2013, Gayle scored an unbeaten 175 runs against Pune Warriors - the highest score by an individual to this day. </p>
<p>Founder of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and its former chairman <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/sports/cricket/ipl-2026-would-have-banned-sanjiv-goenka-if-i-was-chairman-lalit-modi-on-lsg-chiefs-fury-at-pant-3954808">Lalit Modi </a>has shared interesting insider story on how one of the world's most popular cricketers, Chris Gayle became a part of arguably the most popular team in the tournament - Royal Challengers Bengaluru (<a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/sports/cricket/fit-again-josh-hazlewood-raring-to-strike-it-hard-3972036">RCB</a>).</p><p>On a recent podcast episode with former England cricketer Michael Vaughn, Modi revealed how Gayle approached him during his desperate days after no team accepted him in the 2011 auction. According to Modi, Gayle confided in him about the debts he had to pay off, something which forced him to reach out.</p><p>"I had just left the IPL, come back to London, and my good friend Chris Gayle wasn't picked up at the auction. I get a call from him that nobody's picked me up at the auction. I said, you didn't perform," Modi shared with Vaughn. </p><p>"He said, 'I have a huge debt coming and I need to pay my bills.' I made a few calls. Call one, two, three - everybody said no," he added. </p>.Royal Challengers Chennai, Bengaluru Indians? IPL founder Lalit Modi reveals Vijay Mallya, Mukesh Ambani's bids in 2008.<p>Lucky for Gayle, RCB had a vacancy after Dirk Nannes sustained injury ahead of the tournament. </p><p>Modi said he approached RCB owner and business tycoon Vijay Mallya asking him to give the West Indies legend a chance in his team. </p><p>"I went across the road to Vijay Mallya's house. I said, Vijay, give this bloke a try. He said, I have an opening, but I'll pay him if he performs. I told Chris, go there and perform. He wrote his own chequebook. He wrote his own life. He never looked back after that. He got a multi-million dollar contract," said Modi. </p><p>Gayle's tenure with RCB lasted seven seasons until 2017. The 2011 season was a comeback for Gayle as he was the leading run-scorer (608 runs) and helped his team reach the IPL final. Unfortunately, RCB lost the final to Chennai Super Kings by 58 runs. </p><p>In 2013, Gayle scored an unbeaten 175 runs against Pune Warriors - the highest score by an individual to this day. </p>
