[Watch] Virat Kohli urges Chris Gayle to come back in IPL 2025; Cites impact player rule

Chris Gayle had visited the RCB dressing room to celebrate their IPL 2024 playoffs qualification.

Chris Gayle paid a visit to the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) dressing room after their last-over thrilling win over Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to qualify for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 playoffs. RCB will now play RR in the Eliminator on Wednesday, May 22.

Universe Boss Chris Gayle was present at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru and cheered the team from the stands as Virat Kohli and co. got the better of MS Dhoni-starred CSK.

CSK were asked to chase 218 runs to win the match, but to qualify for the playoffs, the Yellow Army just needed to score 201 runs.

CSK began poorly, losing Ruturaj Gaikwad for a golden duck and Daryl Mitchell for four runs. However, Rachin Ravindra’s 61 in 37 balls, combined with Ajinkya Rahane’s 33 in 22, helped CSK reclaim contention.

However, Ravindra and Rahane were both removed in quick succession. Ravindra Jadeja (42* in 22) and MS Dhoni (25 in 13) tried their hardest to reach the playoffs qualification threshold of 200 runs, but CSK fell short, finishing on 191/7 in 20 overs.

“Kaka, come back next year”- Virat Kohli tells Chris Gayle

Chris Gayle, an IPL legend, was in attendance. The ‘Universe Boss’ was in the grandstand watching his former squad defy the odds. Gayle then entered the RCB dressing room to join in their celebrations, Virat Kohli took his opportunity to recruit Gayle back to RCB citing the hilarious advantages of the impact player rule.

After going undefeated in May, RCB blasted into the playoffs by upsetting five-time champions CSK in a virtual knockout last weekend.

Having said that, after the thrilling game, Universe Boss Chris Gayle, who was a key member of RCB during his prime, paid a visit to the winning dressing room to commemorate the incredible triumph.

He met his old friend Kohli, and the two had a wonderful talk. In a video shared on RCB’s official social media account, Kohli is seen wooing Gayle back to the team and arguing his case using the impact player clause.

Kohli has encouraged Chris Gayle to return to RCB next year, as he would no longer have to field owing to the introduction of impact player rule.

Kohli went on to speculate that the impact rule was specifically devised for players like Gayle, who are apprehensive to run and field because of their huge stature. Gayle simply chuckled at Kohli’s suggestion before the two posed for a picture together.

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