Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) have inducted former cricketers AB de Villiers and Chris Gayle into the hall of fame. They became the first inductees after RCB decided to launch their own hall of fame to recognise the contribution of the players who have been a part of the beautiful franchise.
After a speech by the Director of Cricket Mike Hesson, former Bangalore captain Virat Kohli inducted both of his former teammates into the inaugural Hall of Fame. He reminisced his encounter with AB de Villiers and Chris Gayle during their time with the Bangalore side.
Reacting after getting inducted into the Hall of Fame through a virtual conference call, an emotional AB de Villiers said: “To the boys sitting there, what an amazing privilege. Quite emotional, to be honest. I’ve been a little out of cricket, as you know. Just watching you guys on TV really gets me excited about the things that’s still coming in the season, I believe it is going to be a special one.”
“Virat, thanks for the kind words and everyone from the franchise who set this up, this is a really special touch. We had some amazing time together as a team. Sun has moved on for Chris and I, but we are very much part of the family,” he added.
Introducing the #RCB Hall of Fame: Match winners, Legends, Superstars, Heroes – you can go on and on about @ABdeVilliers17 and @henrygayle, two individuals who are responsible for taking IPL to where it is today. #PlayBold #WeAreChallengers #IPL2022 #ನಮ್ಮRCB #RCBHallOfFame pic.twitter.com/r7VUkxqEzP
— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) May 17, 2022
AB de Villiers scored 4491 runs for the franchise in 156 matches after being involved for 11 seasons. He last played in the 2021 IPL season in the United Arab Emirates.
“I will always keep RCB close to my heart” – Chris Gayle
The giant West Indian, who is currently in Jamaica, also thanked the franchise for such special recognition and stated that RCB will always remain close to his heart. Chris Gayle said:
“I want to thank the fraternity, the RCB franchise for everything. It has been really special to me as well. To be inducted into something fantastic. I will always keep RCB close to my heart. I have shared some memories with some special players, some special coaches as well.”
“Virat, thank you for the kind words as well, it has been fantastic sharing the dressing room with you guys. I want to wish you guys all the best for the rest of the tournament and I am sure you guys can do it. Hopefully, this year will be RCB’s,” he added.
Chris Gayle finished his seven-year stint with the three-time finalists in 2018 and went on to represent the Punjab franchise.
