On an evening of honour, the Royal Challengers Bangalore blazed the trail for another memorable event in the glittering antiquity of the annual extravaganza. In an unprecedented occurrence, RCB would lay down the foundation for the club’s Hall of Fame award.

It was Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers who were ennobled with the prestigious award in its first edition for their astronomical contributions to the side. Another RCB icon, Virat Kohli summed up his memories of playing with the two titans on the same side.

Talking about AB de Villiers, Kohli would say, "AB has truly changed the game of cricket with his innovation, brilliance and sportsmanship which truly defines the RCB Play Bold philosophy. It’s truly special of me to be doing this for both of you.”

“We saw videos of how you have changed the way the IPL has been played over the years. Two people have had a huge impact in IPL team where it is today and obviously RCB being where it is today. With AB, I have played for 11 years and with Chris I have played for 7 and both the journeys started in 2011, which for me was always going to be a very special year because I met both of you and started playing with both of you”, added Kohli, talking about the start of the special kinship.

Virat also talked about his experiences with two of the biggest stalwarts of the shortest format of the game, saying, “I remember a few memories of being together which would always stand out for me. With AB, both are from 2016 which were against Gujarat. In one game we had that massive partnership together which was amazing and always a special memory for me that would last for life. I would witness your on-field brilliance first hand which would leave me astonished.”

He would talk about RCB’s brush with struggles in the year’s Qualifier 1. “We were struggling. AB and Iqbal took us home. The composure, the brilliance, the passion and the drive to make RCB win was there for everyone to see,” he recalled.

Virat would focus his attention towards the Universe Boss, saying, “With Chris, 2011 was always going to be a very special memory for me. Chris came in after four games from nowhere. He was sitting in Jamaica, chilling. The boss called him. Not many people know, Chris was a replacement for Dirk Nannes. Came in, got two hundreds that year and seven fifty plus scores in whatever game we played that year.”

He would also talk about his favourite memories with Chris, saying, “The other one is going to be the 175 not out, a record that is never going to be broken and we all witnessed that. I have been fortunate to witness the brilliance of these two guys, playing so many years for RCB. Its truly an honour for me to be standing here in the induction of two good friends and people who would surely want to see more in RCB in whatever capacity that is.” 

“You are always going to be a part of the RCB family. I want to thank you for all the efforts and all the memories on behalf of the whole franchise,” he concluded.