During the Hall of Fame and jersey reveal ceremony at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers were honored for their contributions to the Royal Challengers Bangalore franchise. They were asked if they would consider returning to play for the team in IPL 2023. Chris Gayle stated that he was ready for a comeback. But AB de Villiers downplayed the idea. He said that the chances of him and Gayle featuring in the playing XI were slim. The conversation was light-hearted and took place amidst a star-studded event.
On Sunday, a packed crowd at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium witnessed the official induction of two cricketers into the RCB Hall of Fame. Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers were presented with a Medal of Honour each during the ceremony. RCB captain Faf du Plessis and former captain Virat Kohli shared the dias with them.
During the ceremony, Chris Gayle made a joke about a potential return to international cricket, as he is yet to retire. However, AB de Villiers quickly extinguished any rumors. This event also marked the beginning of RCB’s preparations for IPL 2023.
Chris Gayle and de Villiers’s jerseys were retired
On Sunday, RCB retired the jerseys of Gayle and de Villiers, which had the numbers 333 and 17 respectively. The event was attended by thousands of fans who showed up to watch RCB’s first training session for IPL 2023. Gayle and de Villiers, who had flown in for the occasion, expressed their gratitude towards the loyal fanbase for their support during their time at RCB. They also shared their favorite memories from their playing days at the club.
During his tenure at RCB from 2011 to 2021, AB de Villiers scored 4491 runs, with 2 centuries, in 156 matches. In the same period, Chris Gayle amassed 3163 runs, with 5 centuries, in 83 matches for RCB until 2017.
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