RCB to induct Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers into their Hall of Fame; retire their jersey numbers
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) are set to honour two of their leading greats Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers for the contribution made to the franchise in their playing days at the Indian Premier League (IPL).
The mighty popular franchise will be inducting the two legends of the game into the RCB Hall of Fame and will be retiring their jersey numbers forever as a sign of great sense of appreciation and gratitude for their services.
The development was confirmed by the franchise on its official Twitter feed. In a clip posted on Friday (March 17) afternoon, the RCB confirmed that the West Indies and South African retired stalwarts will be rewarded for their services at the franchise's special #RCBUnbox event on March 26, five days prior to the start of the IPL 2023 on March 31.
It was also the vindication of a promise made by the RCB franchise to its mighty fanbase last year, wherein the franchise had said they would bring Gayle and De Villiers to their den at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore.
RCB to honour Gayle, De Villiers
The event will be held at a ground that Gayle and De Villiers lit up in their pomp wearing the RCB colours. Gayle, who joined the franchise back in 2011 as a replacement pick following his controversial feud with Cricket West Indies (CWI), hit the strides immediately with the franchise and went on to enrich his legacy over the next seven years of the IPL.
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In all, the 'Universe Boss', wearing jersey No.333 - coined after his highest Test score - played 84 matches for RCB with a whopping 3,163 runs at an average of just shy of 44 with a strike rate of 152.7, hitting a whopping 249 fours and 239 sixes. At his best, Gayle could just stand at the crease and exercise such intimidation in the opposition's minds that they would deliver wides and hand over extra runs to the RCB.
We promised you during last year’s IPL that we’ll get @ABdeVilliers17 and @henrygayle together at the Chinnaswamy stadium. And yes, they’re going to be present at the #RCBUnbox event on the 26th of March 2023 for the RCB Hall of Fame induction. Tickets link in bio!#PlayBold pic.twitter.com/9wBeieNJtI
— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) March 17, 2023
Talk of intimidation, what incredible presence De Villiers held for the franchise during his reign on the park which lasted till the 2021 edition, after which he announced his retirement from competitive cricket.
A bonafide RCB legend, not just with the bat but also through his contribution in the field, De Villiers played 144 matches for the RCB with close to 5,000 runs and had a SR of 158.6, being the unicorn who could do it all for his team.