Chris Gayle is not just a maximum-hitting run machine, he has made quite the lifestyle off the pitch too.
Hailing from Kingston, Jamaica, Gayle had humble beginnings and he has admitted if it was not for the Lucas Cricket Club, known for helping youngsters turn away from crime, he would have ended up on the streets.
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Now he is one of the most famous people to ever emerge from the Caribbean, boasting a wealth estimated at £35million ($45m), according to SportsKeeda.
As well as signing several lucrative deals across cricket including in the IPL and in Australia and boasts a series of top records.
That includes the fastest-ever T20 century and the highest score ever in T20 history, scoring a remarkable 175 runs from 66 balls for Royal Challengers Bangalore.
He also became the first West Indian batsman to score a double-century in ODI cricket, scoring 215 against Zimbabwe, which is also the highest-ever score from a left-handed batsman in ODI cricket.
In total, he has 19593 runs and an astonishing 553 sixes – only Indian captain and legend Rohit Sharma has more (612).
But the legend of Gayle is as strong at the crease as he is away from it, forging an incredible lifestyle involving parties, celebrities and personal strip clubs.
In 2015, Gayle took to Instagram to reveal that he had just built a strip club inside his own home.
A later post on social media saw him disclose that the room had been built three years before but he had only just gone public with the knowledge.
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He wrote: “From the pool to the strip club…if u don’t have a strip club at home, U ain’t a cricket ‘Player'”
But if getting the most personal of strip dances is not enough for Gayle, he often spends his time partying it up with celebrities.
They include reggae artist Shaggy, pop sensation Rihanna and even the fastest man on the planet – Usain Bolt.
Worlds collided when Gayle, nicknamed ‘The Universe Boss’, met up with Bolt, as well as former Stoke star Ricardo Fuller.
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Bolt and Gayle might be the two biggest Jamaican sport stars of all time, being two of the best in their field.
Bolt is an eight-time Olympic gold medalist and the world record holder in the 100 metres, 200 metres, and 4 × 100 metres relay, and holds the record for the fastest 100 metres in history with a time of 9.58 seconds.
Gayle often holds charity events in his home country where some of the biggest stars come and attend.
“I think Chris is a fantastic person and I love the fact that he, and a lot of other athletes and entertainers who have done so much in their careers, are endeavouring to build something significant and give back to Jamaica,” marketing manager at Restaurants of Jamaica Limited, Tina Matalon said, who often helps arrange the events.
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Now 44, Gayle is not officially retired from the game but has not played an officially T20 match since 2022.
Although he has not ruled out a return to the IPL.
Speaking last year, he said: “I’m now semi-retired, so, it has to be a good offer to get me on the field in India again; but, I love the game and mentoring young players there.”
Outside of cricket, he has dabbled in music having released an album in 2023.