Bangalore out, Bengaluru in for RCB ahead of IPL 2024, Virat Kohli lifts the mood with special message in Kannada

Virat Kohli lifted the mood with his unique message in Kannada as RCB changed their name to Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the UNBOX event.

Out with the old and in with the new. Fresh from landing their first-ever T20 title, Indian Premier League (IPL) giants Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) have officially announced a change in the franchise name on Tuesday. The Bangalore-based franchise has changed their name to Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the lead-up to the new season of the IPL. The mega announcement came during the RCB UNBOX event at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Virat Kohli lifted the mood with his unique message at the RCB UNBOX event. (PTI-RCB)

Kohli lifts the mood with special message in Kannada

With Virat Kohli as the face of the franchise, the famous IPL side has been called Royal Challengers Bangalore since the beginning of the world's richest T20 league. Speaking to RCB faithful at the recently concluded UNBOX event at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, former skipper Kohli shared a special message in Kannada. Lifting the mood of the RCB fans, Kohli's noteworthy gesture became an instant hit among the fans and followers of the Bangalore franchise.

What happened at RCB's UNBOX Event

Norwegian DJ Allan Walker and Raghu Dixit entertained a packed Chinnaswamy Stadium at the UNBOX Event. Franchise icons Kohli, Faf du Plessis and Smriti Mandhana also unveiled new team colours while confirming the new name of the Royal Challengers. Bangalore men's team gave the Mandhana-led Women's Premier League 2024 champions a guard of honour during the RCB Unbox event. Mandhana's RCB side outclassed Delhi Capitals (DC) in the final of the Women's Premier League (WPL) to end the 16-year trophyless run of the franchise on Sunday.

Karnataka legend enters RCB Hall of Fame

Mandhana and Co. also completed a victory lap around the ground with the WPL trophy at the famous venue. RCB not only felicitated the WPL champions at the UNBOX event, but the franchise also inducted Vinay Kumar into the team's Hall of Fame. Vinay represented RCB for five seasons. The former RCB star capped off his best-ever season in the 2013 edition of the cash-rich league. Vinay bagged 23 wickets for RCB at IPL 2013.