There is absolutely no denying that cricket fans would have loved to see AB de Villiers and Chris Gayle light up the IPL with their bats once again in the upcoming edition of the competition.
The former Royal Challengers Bangalore stars recently reunited in Bengaluru as they were felicitated by the franchise for their contribution to the team. The ceremony took place at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. In addition to the felicitation, RCB also unveiled their jersey for the upcoming season of the IPL.
AB de Villiers and Gayle were officially inducted into the RCB Hall of Fame on Sunday and were presented with a Medal of Honour each in front of a packed crowd. RCB superstar Virat Kohli and current captain Faf du Plessis also shared the stage with AB de Villiers and Gayle.
A night to remember for all RCB fans! ?
From game changers to history makers, we paid tribute to our Hall of Famers?️in style during #RCBUnbox presented by Walkers and Co! ?#PlayBold #ನಮ್ಮRCB #IPL2023 | @ABdeVilliers17 @henrygayle pic.twitter.com/3nIRboFtdg
— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) March 26, 2023
AB de Villiers on IPL comeback:
Ahead of IPL 2023, AB de Villiers and Gayle were asked about the possibility of returning to action once again and they came up with different answers. While Gayle stated that he was ready to return, AB de Villiers quickly ruled out the possibility of the same.
“Absolutely, I would love that. I am ready,” Gayle said during the RCB Unbox event in Bengaluru.
De Villiers was quick to intervene as he said: “I think the team is too good at the moment. We won’t get a chance in the starting XI. We would rather be fans and support the boys to bring the Trophy back home.
“Ee Saala Cup Namde (This year, the trophy is ours),” De Villiers added.
Meanwhile, RCB retired Gayle and de Villiers’ jerseys with numbers 333 and 17, respectively, as a mark of respect. The duo plied their trade for the franchise for a long time and are two of the most successful batsmen in the history of the league.
De Villiers hit 4491 runs, including 2 hundreds, for RCB in 156 matches that spanned between 2011 and 2021. On the other hand, Gayle scored 3163 runs, including 5 hundreds, in 83 matches for RCB between 2011 and 2017.