The auctioning of players added a unique dimension to the franchise, something the world of cricket had never seen before. With the likes of Andrew Symonds and MS Dhoni being bought for over a million dollars, excitement was easily generated.
All the best players in the world in a Twenty20 tournament ensued strong public interest from all cricketing communities across the globe.
Nowadays, from an Australian perspective, the IPL gets nowhere near as much attention as it did in its first few years. Whilst the BCCI don't mind since the tournaments popularity in India will never diminish, it is important for the IPL to remain fresh in order to continue to promote cricket's exciting, alternate brand, T20.
Enter Chris Gayle to reignite the franchise with an incredible 175 runs off 66 balls.
Gayle hit his century off only 30 balls. The fastest in the history of cricket.
At the end of twenty overs Bangalore had amassed a record 263 runs. Gayle was not out with an innings that included a whopping 17 sixes and 11 fours. The West Indian dispatched everything tossed up by the Pune bowling attack. Gayle was in the zone and there was no stopping him. It was a truly amazing innings, even Gayle himself was lost for words in his reaction.
His innings has provided a spark, bumping the IPL closer to the front page of sports section of the newspaper. By standing and delivering, Gayle has regenerated public interest in the IPL.
