The legendary troica was celebrated by the fans at the special event organised by RCB franchise as they return to their den the Chinnaswamy after three years.
The legendary trio of the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), featuring former skipper Virat Kohli and now-retired gems AB de Villiers and Chris Gayle, were part of a special event organised by the franchise at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in the city on Sunday (March 26).
It was the #RCBUnbox event where the franchise made it a point to express their sense of gratitude towards De Villiers and Gayle for their services in the past. Both the giants of the game were inducted into the ‘RCB Hall of Fame’ for their great contributions at the peak of their games for the popular side.
The trio of Kohli, De Villiers and Gayle was last seen playing together for RCB during IPL 2017, before the West Indies legend parted ways with the set-up ahead of the following season. Three years later, his South African counterpart and friend left the RCB side and retired from all professional cricket.
Six years hence, the RCB ownership group decided to celebrate their contribution to the franchise by inducting them into a special set of players to have plied their trade for the side in the past. De Villiers and Gayle being the prominent ones part of that list were the first ones to be inducted as they also took a special round of their den – the Chinnaswamy Stadium – with fans giving them a heartening round of applause.
The franchise even shared a video clip of the same on their official Twitter handle where the duo of De Villiers and Gayle can be seen giving a pep talk to the side for the looming edition of the IPL, starting March 31.
“When they told me about this Unbox, in my own mind, when I arrived, I was looking for my kit bag. So I might say, hey, I have still got more in me, what’s happening,” Gayle joked about it.
“No but it’s a pleasure. Faf (du Plessis, RCB skipper), I want to wish you and the boys all the best. You are a great leader, you lead from the front as usual. Stamp your authority, make it count,” he added.
“You guys have a great captain, support him and you will get the result. Most importantly, enjoy the game. Play it hard, when it is work time, it is work time. Have a lot of fun but when it is work time, switch on.”
The GOAT Trio – Virat Kohli, Ab De Villiers and Chris Gayle at Chinnaswamy.pic.twitter.com/LyjWmGfryo
— CricketMAN2 (@ImTanujSingh) March 26, 2023
De Villiers thanked the RCB franchise for their appreciation and said being inducted into the ‘RCB Hall of Fame’ is an “extremely special” honour for him and Gayle both. The amazing cricketer lauded the passionate fans for their constant support and welcomed them back into Chinnaswamy after three long years to watch RCB play live.
“To each and everyone of you, some faces I don’t know that well, some young faces and some familiar faces, thank you very much for tonight. Huge honour, I can’t explain to you the emotions running through my mind when I walked out there and saw the crowd,” De Villiers said.
“Extremely special for both of us, RCB has a very special place in my heart. It is not just the cricket but off the field, the support staff helping us through our time here, all very special.”
The South African great’s greeting speech for the fans arrived after the RCB event was lightened up by the music beats of Sonu Nigam and Jason Derulo while the three players received huge chants for their names and the RCB side.
“I am quite excited to welcome back fans to the stadium after 3 years,” said Du Plessis, also present at the event, to set the ball rolling for IPL 2023. “It was such an exhilarating experience to practice in front of some amazing fans as part of the RCB Unbox. It was also thrilling to welcome back AB and Chris for their special day, and it was awesome to feel the energy.”
