RCB Unbox Event 2024 Highlights: RCB now Royal Challengers Bengaluru; new jersey colours revealed

RCB Unbox Event 2024 LIVE: The event was supposed to start at 4pm but there has been no indication of the franchise putting up the link for the live stream. Fans aren't too happy about this situation on social media, to put it mildly. Most say that they have already shelled out the Rs.99 that had to be paid to access the stream.

RCB Unbox Event 2024 LIVE: There have been no official announcements but leaked images, and guesses based on the training kits, show that RCB may have replaced the black in their jersey with blue. Judging from the reaction on social media, there aren't too many fans who are happy with this decision. The franchise has not made it any better for themselves with the delay in uploading the live streaming link, which fans had to pay for.

RCB Unbox Event 2024 LIVE: The RCB stars could be seen knocking a football around on the ground minutes before the start of the event. Meanwhile, there is some delay in getting the live stream up on the franchise's website and app.

RCB Unbox Event 2024 LIVE: Allright then, it is all simmering up nicely at the Chinnaswamy. The fans are finding their seats at the stadium, the stage looks all set.

RCB Unbox Event 2024 LIVE: There will be a full practice session today before the event and the team bus have rolled by the gates where hundreds of fans have welcomed the players.

RCB Unbox Event 2024 LIVE: Smriti Mandhana and Co. sent the RCB fan base into a frenzy by winning the WPL title on Sunday. The men's team have famously been unable to lift the title even once despite often possessing some of the biggest names in the game in their lineups over the years. Mandhana is set to be felicitated during the event today.

RCB Unbox Event 2024 LIVE: The Norwegian DJ, of 'Faded' fame, has composed RCB's team song for IPL 2024 and he will be performing today at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. Counting down the minutes...

RCB Unbox Event 2024 LIVE: Alright then. Less than an hour to go. The anticipation builds. Plenty of suspense. A name change in store, and new jerseys to be launched. And of course, there is Virat Kohli… and over 40000 people filling the stadium. Couple all of it with some dazzling performances of some of India and world's renowned music artists, and to top it all, the arrival of the RCB Women's team to celebrate their grand success of winning the second edition of the WPL. Just thought we will remind you so you don't miss it. The countdown begins…

RCB Unbox Event 2024 LIVE: Then we could be in for a big surprise as far as the new jersey launch is concerned. The practice jerseys wearing which the likes of Kohli, Maxwell, Lockie Ferguson and other trained, were all red and blue, with no appearance of gold. Could this be another big change in direction RCB could be moving towards. Then again, the pads remain golden as batting visuals from yesterday proves. But in terms of jerseys, blue is a colour that's graced almost every team. Mumbai Indians and Lucknow Super Giants already sported it, while Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings too have joined the race. Oh please god, let there be no further blue on RCB.

RCB Unbox Event 2024 LIVE: Madness. That’s the only word that can define the fan craze that's building up outside the Chinnaswamy. There's still a good one hour left before the event starts but the number of people flocking the stadium is making it look as if Virat Kohli is batting on 90 in a World Cup match. Only he is capable of triggering such an emotion. Remember, Kohli hasn't been seen in almost two months, and his return only promises to make today's event a house full.

RCB Unbox Event 2024 LIVE: The visuals sure make it seem so. That's a WWE set right there. Giant screens, speakers and an open-roof stadium. And of course, a king-sized image of Kohli on one of the screens. All that is missing now are the fans. Last year was the first time in a while that the IPL returned to Bengaluru and it turned out to be a memorable homecoming. The Chinnaswamy is all decked up. Are you?

RCB Unbox Event 2024 LIVE: Last year, RCB took a big step towards merging sports with lifestyle and to ensure the two entities flourish, the RCB Innovation Lab was introduced. The RCB innovation is pretty much a first in Indian sports that brings ideas, theories and concepts together to help shape the future indicating a trailblazing intersection between sports and business. The idea of this step is to innovate, ideate and build a platform where aspects of sports, cricket, business, media and technology can come together. This will also help leaders and innovators to share their stories and brands which thus promises a future with no limitations and endless opportunities.

RCB Unbox Event 2024 LIVE: A big section of the Indian cricket fans must envy those in Bengaluru right now, more so the ones who have access to the Chinnaswamy today. As for those who aren't and wish to be part of the RCB Unbox, they can watch it on the RCB website and its app. But here's a catch. You'll have to shell out ₹99 for the six-hour-long event, a decision that hasn't sat well with the public. On one hand, the IPL is being streamed for free, but for RCB to charge ₹99 for an event isn't not what the public wants, at least for a pre-season event. What do you think? Is this justified?

RCB Unbox Event 2024 LIVE: To set your pulse racing, RCB are pulling out all the stops. Not only does the RCB Unbox give the fans a chance to get close to their favourite cricketers, performers like Alan Walker, Raghu Dixit and Neeti Mohan will set the temp for the evening. Walker has in fact come up with a brand-new song for RCB ahead of IPL 2024 – possibly a new anthem – and will reveal the same during his 3-minute long set today. Meanwhile, Dixit, who recently performed at the Lollapalooza, is also here to dazzle what promises to be a memorable evening.

RCB Unbox Event 2024 LIVE: "Waah yaar, kya baat hai," said Virat Kohli as he made his much-awaited return to the RCB camp. Spotted for the first time since January 23, the day he left the Indian team two days before the start of the England Test series due to 'personal reasons', Kohli is back to competitive cricket. Speaking for the first time since returning, Kohli said he can't wait for the season to start and insisted that although he was away, he hasn't missed anything that's happened on the field. Later, he took on the field, and as expected, the guy did not miss a beat. Well, just Kohli things.

RCB Unbox Event 2024 LIVE: Last year, the RCB added a prestigious Hall of Fame initiative where legends Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers were added in the class of 2023 for their contributions in RCB becoming the global brand that it is today. After all, when you think of RCB, the one name that comes to behind after Virat Kohli is either Gayle or Villiers. The two pioneers of RCB's batting over the years, Gayle, de Villiers and Kohli formed the strongest and the most star-studded batting line-ups of all time. But alas, even their combined brilliance could not win RCB the IPL trophy. Two of those three are retired, which shifts the attention back to Kohli. And there is a full possibility of the franchise inducting Kohli, their most experienced player of all time, to the RCB Hall of Fame.

RCB Unbox Event 2024 LIVE: Flashback to 2022! When yours truly had the opportunity to cover the first-ever RCB Unbox in Bengaluru. The highlight of the event was a press-conference that kicked things off, where Faf du Plessis was officially named captain of the franchise, taking over the reins after Virat Kohli had decided to step down as skipper the season before. The PC was followed by a select media interaction where the likes of Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj and coach Mike Hesson shared interesting insights with media personnel. And finally, to cap off an eventful day, the late KK produced an enthralling performance. Kohli and some of the Indian stars could not be part of the Unbox as just a couple of kilometers away, they were playing a Test match against Sri Lanka at the Chinnaswamy.

RCB Unbox Event 2024 LIVE: Oh no! Don't get the wrong idea. When we say RCB to do away with Bangalore, we mean that the franchise is likely to part ways with the term 'Bangalore' likely to replace it with Bengaluru. In 2014, the city of Bangalore was officially renamed to Bengaluru but the franchise didn't implement yet… until now. In a teaser dropped by RCB on their social media handle, the rechristening will take place today, and once done, RCB will join the likes of Delhi Capitals, Punjab Kings and the now-defunct Rising Pune Supergiant to ring in a name change.

RCB Unbox Event 2024 LIVE: IPL 2024 seems to be the season of new jerseys. All teams have rejigged their gears and while most have been revealed, including Kolkata Knight Riders just yesterday – RCB will unveil their brand-new jersey during the unbox. But the bigger question remains: Will a change in jersey bring about a much-needed change in luck too? RCB desperately need a bit of it to do what they haven't all these years. And that is to win an IPL trophy. They've come close thrice – in 2009, 2011 and 2016 – when they reached the final but only to return empty-handed. Last year, RCB didn't even qualify for the playoffs. With Faf du Plessis set to lead an exciting team, he would be hoping to follow the girls and end a 16-year-long wait.

RCB Unbox Event 2024 LIVE: How cool were the girls of the RCB, who just two days ago gave the franchise their biggest gift – the Women's Premier League trophy. Yes, the women were able to accomplish in just the second season what their men counterparts haven't done in 16. The Royal Challengers Bangalore Women defeated Delhi Capitals Women by 8 wickets in the final of the WPL to emerge winners and give the cricket fans in Bengaluru their biggest moment under the sun. And to honour this achievement, the girls will be in attendance at the RCB Unbox as the entire city gets the chance to get behind them once more and celebrate the success.

A couple of weeks ago, the sight of Richa Ghosh and Shreyanka Patil down on their hunches following a one-run-defeat, made for a highly heartbreaking moment. From there to have won the WPL trophy against the very team that shattered them is the perfect redemption.

RCB Unbox Event 2024 LIVE: If you're reading this now, you're probably already late. Tickets for the RCB Unbox event are pretty much sold out. These were available on the RCB platform – website and app – with the prices ranging from INR 800 to 4000. But then again, now may not be the right time to go for it as there's only three hours left for the event to begin. And if you're expecting some good news, there's almost zero chance you'll get one. But hey! Look up X and other social media platforms. You never know, someone may be willing to give their tickets/tickets up.

RCB Unbox Event 2024 LIVE: Unfortunately, the answer is no. As much as AB de Villiers wants to be present for the big Unbox event, for now he is not in India. Last week, de Villiers had revealed while speaking on his YouTube channel that although he's been handed out an invitation by Virat Kohli to spend time with him and some of the players ahead of the season, ABD's hands were tied due to his broadcasting duties during the IPL. Mr. 360 will head to Mumbai – his first stop in India – and while there is uncertainty over the possibility of his link-up with RCB, he isn't totally non-committal towards it.

RCB Unbox Event 2024 LIVE: It's been seven years since Chris Gayle last played for RCB, but the Universe Boss retains an undying connection with the franchise. In 2018, RCB decided to part ways with Chris Gayle, making way for the big-hitting West Indies to play the last three seasons of his IPL career with Punjab Kings. But what makes Gayle and RCB stick together even after all these years is the fact that there was no bad blood when it was time to say goodbye. So as RCB gear up for a fresh shot at IPL glory, who better than Gayle himself to spice things up. The Universe Boss is in the house; he was at the ground yesterday as Kohli, de Plessis and Glenn Maxwell underwent their first training session together and soaked in all the cheers that came his way. RCB loves Gayle and AB de Villiers the same way as Kohli, Maxwell and others. And why not. RCB isn't just a team; it's an emotion.

RCB Unbox Event 2024 LIVE: He's done it again. Fresh from a break following the birth of his son Akaay, Kohli is back to competitive cricket and how. By sporting another new look that only adds more to the 'can't wait for Kohli' to return spirit. Kohli has been going to the famous hairstylist Aalim Hakim for a while now, and each time he steps out, he looks different, this one being no exception. The eyebrow slit from 2013 makes a return, so is the faded look above the temple area with a big chunk on the back of the head. Our man looks dapper as always, and ready for the big unbox. If that hasn't got you excited enough, we wonder what will.

RCB Unbox Event 2024 LIVE: So in plain terms, it's a pre-season event hosted by RCB that creates some buzz ahead of a fresh season. Not that RCB and its huge fanbase need an additional initiative to hype up the franchise, but it's an effort from the top bosses to repay fans for the love and support they've shown throughout the years. There are PCs, media interactions, fan exchanges, signing, dancing and of course, build-up to the IPL. The RCB unbox event personifies the razzmatazz and the glamour that the IPL is about. The perfect blend of sports and entertainment comes to the Chinnaswamy today, two days ahead of RCB's season opener against Chennai Super Kings.