RR vs RCB: Chris Gayle to rejoin RCB? Virat Kohli goes full throttle to convince the Universe Boss

Virat Kohli has asked the Universe Boss Chris Gayle to stage his return in the IPL with RCB in 2025 as the permanent Impact player of the team.

Chris Gayle, who is a legendary figure of the franchise, was in attendance at the M. Chinnaswamy stadium during RCB's final IPL 2024 clash against CSK. In that match, the Royal Challengers came out on top of the reigning champions by 27 runs. Faf du Plessis' side denied the Yellow brigade an opportunity to reach the playoffs to defend their IPL title which they won in 2023.

With that victory, Virat Kohli and RCB reached their 2nd play-off in the last 3 seasons with their opponents for the Eliminator also confirmed. Bengaluru will take on the Rajasthan Royals in the 1st Eliminator match, which is set to take place on Wednesday, May 22nd at the Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad.

Virat Kohli tells Chris Gayle that the Impact Player rule was introduced for him

Virat Kohli and the RCB team were in Cloud 9 after the sensational victory at the M. Chinnaswamy stadium and Chris Gayle had also joined them for celebrations. Gayle was seen cheering the players inside the dressing room and was also spotted hugging franchise captain Faf du Plessis.

Virat Kohli gifted a signed RCB jersey to Chris Gayle. ❤️

Then said - "Kaka, Comeback next year, Impact player is on now. You don't have to field anymore, it is designed for you [Smiles]". 😄👌 p<!---->i<!---->c<!---->.<!---->t<!---->w<!---->i<!---->t<!---->t<!---->e<!---->r<!---->.<!---->c<!---->o<!---->m<!---->/<!---->x<!---->V<!---->T<!---->Q<!---->9<!---->i<!---->Q<!---->z<!---->U<!---->E

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It almost felt as if Chris Gayle was not an outsider in the RCB dressing room as it seemed like the former West Indies opener was still playing for them. In a viral video shared on X (formerly Twitter), Virat Kohli can be seen signing the Bengaluru shirt for Gayle and having a few words with him afterward.

Virat Kohli was then heard telling Chris Gayle that he should come back next season. That the Impact Player is on and it was made for the latter to not field and just bat. Once Kohli said that, everyone around him started laughing in sheer joy. "Kaka, come back next year, Impact player is on now. You don't have to field anymore, it is designed for you." - Kohli told Gayle.

How did the fans react?

Fans below in the comment section have rallied in with reactions with most of them appreciating the bond between Virat Kohli and Chris Gayle. While one fan wrote that it was a great gesture by the former RCB captain, another fan wrote that Gayle and AB de Villiers are going to join Bengaluru soon.

There was one fan who appeared to be taking a slight dig at Virat Kohli by saying that it was the same franchise that didn't bid for him during the 2018 auctions. The best comment was when a fan said that he would frame the picture of Kohli and Gayle on the wall.

When will the playoffs begin?

The playoffs are set to begin from tomorrow onwards with the top 2 teams - KKR and SRH set to lock horns in Qualifier 1 in Ahmedabad. Then on 22nd May, RCB will go head-to-head with RR in Eliminator 1. The loser of the match will then take on the loser of Qualifier 1 in the 2nd Qualifying match on Friday, May 24th. The finale will take place on May 26th in Chennai.