In a new initiative, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on May 17 announced its Hall of Fame where the franchise inducted legendary cricketers AB de Villiers and Chris Gayle. The initiative was to honour cricketers who have worn the red and gold jersey over the years and contributed immensely to the growth of the franchise.
AB De Villiers and Chris Gayle Inducted In RCB Hall Of Fame
De Villiers and Gayle joined their former teammates through video conferencing and were admitted into RCB’s Hall of Fame following induction speeches by former skipper Virat Kohli and the team’s Director of Cricket, Mike Hesson.
De Villiers and Gayle were both inducted into the RCB Hall of Fame for their outstanding contributions to the franchise throughout their IPL stint.
Former RCB captain Virat Kohli then hailed the two cricketers. Claiming that AB de Villiers truly changed the game, Kohli recalled a couple of his knocks in 2016.
“AB has truly changed the game of cricket with his innovation and sportsmanship which defines RCB’s ‘Play Bold’ philosophy.
In the videos we saw you guys have changed how IPL is played. With AB I played for 11 years with Chris I played for seven. And both the journeys started in 2011 which for me is going to be the most special year as I met the both of you. I always have a few memories with you guys that stand.
With AB, it was the two games against Gujarat in 2016. That partnership I had will last with me for life. I got to see a close-up how it is done and that left me astonished. In the same year when we were struggling, it was AB and Iqbal who took us home,” Kohli said.
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
Hailing former West Indies captain Gayle, Kohli recalled his record-breaking 175 in IPL. “With Chris that year, he came in late after four games. Till then he must have been chilling in Jamaica. But then, he hit two centuries that year and went on to score a lot of runs. And then the 175, who can forget that,” Kohli added.
De Villiers and Gayle are regarded as two of the greatest players in the Indian Premier League’s history. In his IPL career, De Villiers appeared in 184 games and scored 5162 runs at an average of 39.71.
He’s scored three centuries and 40 half-centuries. Gayle, on the other hand, has appeared in 142 matches and scored 4965 runs at a 39.72 average. In the IPL, he has a total of six centuries and 31 half-centuries.
