RCB Bold Diaries: RCB has a very special place in our hearts - AB de Villiers echoes Chris Gayle’s thoughts at Unbox

The Chinnaswamy Stadium manifested into a cauldron of noise on Sunday evening as the RCB Unbox event powered by Walkers and co. exhibited a unique mix of cricket and entertainment, much to the thrill of thousands of fans at the venue. 

Apart from a live practice session that was headlined by Virat Kohli and RCB skipper Faf du Plessis, artists such as Jason Derulo, Sonu Nigam among others sang their popular numbers to get the audience grooving to their tunes. 

However, the biggest cheers of the night were reserved for RCB Hall of Famers AB de Villiers and Chris Gayle, two legends who have a massive influence on the franchise’s rich cricketing history. 

Returning to the hallowed Chinnaswamy turf for the RCB Unbox event, the duo soaked in the vociferous cheers that came their way, right from the time they were seen on the big screen till the end of the Hall of Fame event. In a bid to honour de Villiers and Gayle’s contributions to RCB, their jersey numbers 17 and 333 respectively were retired as well. 

On the latest episode of Bold Diaries, both Gayle and de Villiers were seen chatting to the RCB squad and sharing some tips ahead of the IPL 2023 season. 

Gayle said, “In my mind, when I arrived, I waited for my kit bag. I didn’t get my kit bag. I am always saying that I still have more in me. However, jokes apart. Faf, I want to wish you and the boys all the very best. You are a great leader. You have a great team.”

Talking to the team, Gayle said, “You guys have a great captain. Support him and you will get the result. Most importantly, you must enjoy the game. Play it hard but when it’s work time, it’s work time. Have a lot of fun but when it’s work time, just switch on and let’s play the game hard.”

AB de Villiers chipped in with his thoughts, stating, “I have never seen Chris angry in my time before, except for one game. Virat, you clearly remember that game, when we lost three or four in a row. We were bowled out for not much. What followed was a 30-minutes session going on at every single one of us. So when he says work time work, I guess you guys got the message.”

He continued, “To each and everyone of you, some faces, I do not know, some faces are familiar, thank you everyone for tonight. The emotions running in my mind when I walked up there, it was huge. Like the way you guys were supporting us, it was very special as well. RCB always has a very special place in our hearts. The franchise means a lot to us in our lives. It’s not just cricket but off the field as well, particularly the support staff, supporting us, was always really special.”