Virat Kohli and Chris Gayle have shared the same RCB dressing in IPL from 2011 to 2017.
Bengaluru: Virat Kohli was caught having banter with his former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) teammate Chris Gayle about his six-hitting after RCB defeated defending champions Chennai Super Kings by 27 runs at home to book a place in the ongoing IPL 2024 playoffs. RCB finished the league stage at fourth with 14 points and will face third-placed Rajasthan Royals in the Eliminator on May 22 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Gayle, a former West Indies great and who played for RCB from 2011 to 2017, was at the Chinnaswamy Stadium to cheer for his team against CSK. Gayle, popularly known as ‘Universe Boss’ entered the RCB dressing room to congratulate on the victory. With Virat Kohli at the top of his mood, the Indian joked with Gayle that he had the most sixes in this season.
“Maximum Sixes this season, yeah?” Kohli told Gayle in a video shared by RCB on their ‘X’ handle. To which Gayle asked, “How much?”. Kohli answered “37.” However, the next day, Sunrisers Hyderabad opener Abhishek Sharma surpassed Kohli’s record to be at 41. With RCB in the playoffs, Kohli still has a chance to go to the top once again but will again get fierce competition against Sharma.
Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli in the RCB dressing room together – nostalgia max!
Virat jokingly asks Chris to come back to the #IPL – what do you think about it, 12th Man Army? #PlayBold #ನಮ್ಮRCB #IPL2024 pic.twitter.com/Bj9HVFfVka
— Royal Challengers Bengaluru (@RCBTweets) May 20, 2024
The former RCB skipper also jokingly asked Gayle to join the side next season as the tournament now has an Impact Player rule. “You don’t have to field anymore; it’s designed for you,” Kohli told Gayle before both burst into laughter.
Meanwhile, Gayle still holds the record for most sixes in the history of IPL with 357 big hits to his name. Kohli stands third with 271 and can surpass Mumbai Indians’ Rohit Sharma (280) during the playoffs. The West Indian also holds the record for most sixes in a single IPL season, having taken the award thrice.
Gayle hit most sixes in 2011 (44), 2012 (59) and 2013 (51) editions. For the unknown, Kohli too completed 3000 runs at the Chinnaswamy Stadium during the match against CSK. He scored a 29-ball 47, which included four sixes and three fours, before getting dismissed by Mitchell Santner.