Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) will retire the jersey numbers worn by AB de Villiers and Chris Gayle when two cricketing legends will be inducted into the Indian Premier League (IPL) side’s Hall of Fame on March 26.
“Jersey numbers 17 and 333 will be retired forever as a tribute to AB de Villiers and Chris Gayle as RCB legends are inducted into the Hall of Fame,” RCB tweeted.
Jersey numbers 17 and 333 will be retired forever as a tribute to @ABdeVilliers17 and @henrygayle, when we induct the legends of RCB into the Hall of Fame, at the #RCBUnbox presented by Walkers and Co.#PlayBold #ನಮ್ಮRCB pic.twitter.com/Ka2SaORSel
— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) March 17, 2023
Jersey number 17 was worn by de Villiers who played 11 seasons (2011-2021) for RCB and scored 4,491 runs in 156 matches.
The charismatic South African cricketer scored 37 half-tons and two centuries for RCB, his highest score being 133 not out in 2015.
De Villiers, who announced his retirement from all forms of cricket in November 2021, hit a strike rate of 152 for RCB.
Along with Virat Kohli, de Villiers recorded five 100-plus partnerships and two 200-plus stands for RCB, the only pair in the world to record two such partnerships.
West Indian hard hitter Gayle played for RCB for seven seasons (2011-2017) and his jersey no. 333 was too scary for the opposition.
In the 2013 IPL season, Jamaica scored 708 runs in 16 matches for RCB and scored 175 not out.
Gayle started his career with Kolkata Knight Riders in 2009, before moving to RCB, where he had a long stint with the IPL franchise. He was bought by Punjab Kings in 2018 where he played for four seasons
