IPL 2022: AB de Villiers & Chris Gayle inducted in RCB hall of fame; Virat gets emotional

Much to the excitement of IPL fans across the world, veterans AB de Villiers and Chris Gayle were inducted into the Royal Challengers Bangalore's (RCB) Hall of Fame during a special event on Monday. 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.

The entire Royal Challengers Bangalore squad gathered in the team's common area for the special occasion to induct De Villiers and Gayle into the franchise's Hall of Fame. Before announcing De Villiers and Gayle's entry into the Hall of Fame, Kohli gave an emotional speech in their honour. Both icons were also gifted with beautiful gold-plated mementoes bearing their names and jersey numbers. Here's the video of the entire event. 

"To the RCB boys sitting there, what an amazing privilege. I am quite emotional, to be honest. I have been a little bit out of cricket as you know and just watching you boys on TV just last while, really gets me excited about things that are coming this season. Virat, thanks for the kind words. Mike, Nikhil, and everyone from the franchise who set this up. It's really special. We had some amazing time together as a team and the sun has moved on for Chris and I now but we are still very much a family, and we will always be. Thank you very much for the very special touch," De Villiers said. 

"I wanted to thank the RCB franchise for everything. It's been really special for me as well to be inducted into something fantastic and I will always keep RCB close to my heart. I share a lot of memories with some special players and some special coaches as well. It's been really really fantastic. I wish I was there to give this speech. As AB mentioned, it's a bit emotional as well because it's very touching for such a franchise that they have created over the years. And to Virat, thank you for the kind words as well, it's been fantastic sharing the dressing room with you guys as well, and enjoyed each and every moment. It's special," Gayle said in his speech. 

AB De Villiers and Chris Gayle's IPL stint

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.

Image: RCB/Twitter