Bengaluru: Captains Faf du Plessis and Smriti Mandhana, and batting icon Virat Kohli on Tuesday unveiled the new name of RCB -- Royal Challengers Bengaluru - - and their new jersey at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Tuesday. The team’s new name and logo were also unveiled during a magical RCB Unbox 2024 confirming that the team will now be known as Royal Challengers Bengaluru as has been the speculation for some time now.
Celebrating the spirit of passionate and enthusiastic fans of the team -- the 12th Man Army, one of the most loyal fan bases in the world -- the event took place for the third time, and it was even more special this time, especially after the women’s team’s recent triumph in the Women’s Premier League 2024.
The event provided fans with a memorable experience to watch their favourite stars in action live ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, with the entire team taking part in a training session, showcasing glimpses of what they can anticipate in the upcoming season.
Kohli along with women’s team captain Mandhana and men’s team skipper du Plessis launched the new jersey.
Fan-favourite Kohli, du Plessis, Mohammed Siraj, and Glenn Maxwell received roaring cheers from the fans as they entered the field along with other RCB stars inside the jam-packed Chinnaswamy Stadium.
The Mandhana-led women’s team, who clinched the WPL 2024 crown earlier this week, was also present on the occasion as they received a special guard of honour from the men’s team amidt huge applause from the fans.
Former Indian medium-pacer and RCB player R Vinay Kumar was also inducted into the RCB Hall of Fame as he joined AB de Villiers and Chris Gayle. Vinay Kumar is the third-highest wicket-taker for RCB.
On an exciting evening, fans were also treated to some entertaining music with electrifying performances by renowned DJ Alan Walker along with other popular stars such as Raghu Dixit, Neeti Mohan, Brotha V, and Jordindian among others.
RCB are scheduled to kickstart their campaign against Chennai Super Kings in Chennai in the inaugural match on Friday before returning to Bengaluru to play their first home game of the league on Monday.
