Chris Gayle 215 vs Zimbabwe: Why is Darren Sammy thanking IPL team Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)?

West Indies all-rounder Darren Sammy on Tuesday is thanking the Indian Premier League (IPL) side Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for taking him on board for the upcoming season, as he would not have to bowl to the compatriot and explosive batsman Chris Gayle anymore. READ: Darren Sammy sold for Rs. 2.8 crore to Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)

Sammy, in an Instagram post thanked RCB for taking him him as he will not have to bowl to the deadly batting combination of Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli. The West Indies all-rounder Sammy’s post came following the carnage created by Gayle at the Manuka Oval in Canberra on Tuesday, as he smashed his way to a splendid 215 versus Zimbabwe in their ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 match. READ: Chris Gayle slams first World Cup double ton

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Sammy was purchased by Royal Challengers Bangalore for Rs 2.80 crore, a sharp hike compared to his base price of Rs 1 crore. Gayle, de Villiers and Kohli were all retained by the IPL franchise. However, Yuvraj Singh, another star in the RCB side, was released and he was eventually picked up by Delhi Daredevils.  IPL 2015 Auction: Full list of players bought by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for IPL 8

Gayle faced only 147 balls and clobbered 16 sixes and 10 boundaries to score the first double century in the history of World Cup cricket tournaments. Gayle broke the highest individual record in World Cup history by Gary Kirsten of 188 runs as he was dismissed on the final ball of the West Indies innings. READ: Chris Gayle goes past Shikhar Dhawan to become leading run-scorer of World Cup 2015

Gayle equalled the world record set by Indian batsman Rohit Sharma of hitting 16 sixes in a ODI innings. VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS: Chris Gayle 215 vs Zimbabwe. Rohit had achieved the feat during his  superlative knock of 264 against Sri Lanka. The West Indies won the match by 73 runs via Duckworth-Lewis method and Sammy posted a photo of Gayle on his Instagram account:

thank u #rcb now I don't have to bowl to @chrisgayle333 AB and Virat in #ipl7 #whewwwwww

A photo posted by darren (@darrensammy88) on Feb 24, 2015 at 4:41am PST