Of all the many mysteries surrounding the Indian Premier League (IPL), the most mystifying, on the face of it, has been Chris Gayle’s inability to attract a bid at the auction for the 2011 edition from the multi-millionaire industrialists and Bollywood stars who own the franchise teams.

While three players, all Indians, fetched over US$2 million each and another dozen over US$1 million, one of the most explosive of contemporary batsmen and an entertainer whose power-hitting is made for the shortest form of the game was left on the shelf at the comparatively modest base price of US$400,000.

In the sale for the inaugural IPL in 2008, the bidding for Gayle started at US$250,000. He eventually went to the Kolkata Knight Riders, the team of screen superstar Shahrukh Khan, for US$800,000. He returned in 2009 and again last year.

“I’m sure (in) all those IPL franchises, …..