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Former England captain Michael Vaughan recently revealed his choice of the best foreign player to ever feature in the Indian Premier League. The former skipper was asked in a video to name his selection and his opted for Chris Gayle but, a surprising absence of some of the most influential names in the history of the IPL was present in the answer.

His choice was a surprising one for many, considering the likes of AB de Villiers, Kieron Pollard, Rashid Khan, Sunil Narine and Shane Warne who have all had immense impacts on the competition.

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Chris Gayle's stats in the IPL are self explanatory. He has played in 142 matches from the year 2009-2021, representing teams like Kolkata Knight Riders, Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Kings XI Punjab and scoring 4,965 runs in 141 innings.

He has two orange cap awards to his name and one of the most feared batsmen of all time in the history of IPL. The former West Indian opener holds the record for the most sixes in the IPL, a stat which stands at 357, while he also owns the highest individual score, 175 not out. The all-rounder also picked up 18 wickets with the ball during his tenure in the IPL.

The ability to crushbowlers and turn games in a matter of moments made him a sensational player to watch, but a top selection in Vaughan's squad shows the magnitude of his presence for numerous seasons.

Although Gayle was chosen by Vaughan, other overseas stars also left a huge impact on the IPL. AB de Villiers scored 5162 runs in 184 games over the course of his career with Delhi and Bengaluru, finishing as one of the most consistent batters in the league.

Kieron Pollard, who played for the Mumbai Indians, was yet another overseas star who dominated the league, scoring 3412 runs and picking up 69 wickets from 189 games. He was also an integral part of the Mumbai Indians team which won the title five times under Rohit Sharma.

In a crucial moment for Mumbai Indians, Pollard helped them win the final against Chennai Super Kings at Eden Gardens in the 2013 final where he scored an undefeated 60 off 32 balls and also picked up a wicket in that game to ensure that his team lifted the trophy. He was also given the Player of the Match award. Following his retirement from playing cricket, Pollard transitioned into the support staff of the Mumbai Indians and is presently their batting coach in the IPL 2026.

While Vaughan may have sparked some controversy among the fans with his pick of Gayle, numbers and match-winning capabilities of the explosive batter make a very good argument for him being at the top of the batting lineup.