Two of the most consistent performers of the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), AB de Villiers and Chris Gayle were inducted into the franchise’s newly introduced Hall of Fame during an event held recently. Both De Villiers and Universe Boss joined their former RCB teammates through video conferencing and were duly honored for their outstanding contributions over the years.
In a video shared by RCB on the official Twitter handle, the entire Red Army can be seen gathered in the team’s common area for the Hall of Fame ceremony. Before the announcements were made, former RCB skipper Virat Kohli along with the team’s Director of Cricket, Mike Hesson gave their speeches. And then, both Stalwarts were gifted with gold-plated mementos having their names and jersey numbers.
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
At the event, AB de Villiers said, “To the RCB boys sitting there, what an amazing privilege. I am quite emotional, to be honest. I have been a little bit out of cricket as you know and just watching you boys on TV just last while, really gets me excited about things that are coming this season. Virat, thanks for the kind words. Mike, Nikhil, and everyone from the franchise who set this up. It’s really special.”
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On the other hand, Chris Gayle said, “I wanted to thank the RCB franchise for everything. It’s been really special for me as well to be inducted into something fantastic and I will always keep RCB close to my heart. I share a lot of memories with some special players and some special coaches as well.”
He further added, “It’s been really really fantastic. I wish I was there to give this speech. As AB mentioned, it’s a bit emotional as well because it’s very touching for such a franchise that they have created over the years.”
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Both AB de Villiers and Chris Gayle are two of the most legendary cricketers in the Indian Premier League (IPL) history. Talking about their numbers, De Villiers played 184 games in IPL and amassed 5162 runs. He stroked three hundred and 40 half-centuries. On the other hand, Gayle has played 142 IPL matches and scored 4965 runs at an average of almost 40. The left-handed batter has stroked six hundred and 31 fifties.
