The tall left-handed opener made a mockery of a steep 183-run target in the Group One match, carrying West Indies to victory with 11 balls to spare on a hot and humid evening at the Wankhede Stadium.
Gayle's century was his second in the format and he remained unbeaten on 100 off 48 balls after hitting 11 sixes and five fours.
Marlon Samuels (37) took the early initiative while Gayle took his time to settle down and the pair added 55 for the second wicket to lay down the foundation for a West Indies victory.
It was the sparse crowd at the stadium overlooking the Arabian Sea who were at risk once Gayle decided to open his shoulders and swat everything in his zone over the boundary.
England spinners Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali, hampered more by the dew making the ball difficult to grip, were at the receiving end of Gayle's blitzkrieg with the latter suffering the ignominy of being hit for three consecutive sixes in an over in which he gave away 22 runs.
"It's as simple as he makes it look out there," West Indies coach Phil Simmons said of Gayle's knock.
"He practises hard, hits a lot of balls in the nets but he works it out just as he did it today."
Denesh Ramdin and Dwayne Bravo threw away their wickets in a brief period of concern for West Indies but England captain Eoin Morgan could do little to stop the 36-year-old Gayle take apart his attack.
