Despite not winning an IPL title, Royal Challengers Bangalore is among the most popular teams in the country. Even after repeated failures, they have the most devoted fans, and their most notable accomplishment is reaching the IPL finals three times.
Many notable personalities have worn the red jersey but have yet to win a championship. The main problem for RCB is that they have traditionally relied on just two or three players in recent seasons. Another source of concern was that their bowling unit underperformed on crucial occasions.
The management has also committed a blunder by not giving talented players ample time. RCB never had a consistent starting lineup and altered it every season. One can check ipl rcb match highlights to check their team’s current performance.
But regardless of the points mentioned above, Let’s look at the RCB’s Best all-time players.
Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli is among the finest players in the history of Cricket. He has been a member of RCB from the beginning until now and led this franchise for ten years, from 2011 to 2021, and quit as captain to focus on his game. IPL 2016 was RCB’s best season in the league’s history.
He is currently “THE BEST” in his field. You cannot imagine an RCB All-Time XI without this player. In 2016, Kohli was presented with the Orange Cap. During that season, he was a batting machine. For pleasure, he was reaching centuries. 4 hundred in a single season (the most by any IPL player) and 973 runs in a single edition (most runs by any individual in one season of IPL). With 12 stitches in his hand, he scored a century against KXIP in a truncated game of 15 overs.
Virat Kohli was at his best during the time, winning several matches on his own. He scored 973 runs in a single season, including four centuries, which is still the most runs scored by any player in a single season.
Christopher Henry Gayle
He joined RCB in 2011 as a substitute for Dirk Nannes, the rest is history. Gayle was in Peak form from the start. He scored over 2000 runs in his first three seasons, with at least one century each, He also received the Orange Cap in 2011 and 2012. Chris Gayle is known as the “UNIVERSE BOSS.” On his day, he can easily smash any opponent. During his 7-year tenure with the team, he scored 3163 runs at an average of 43.32 with a strike rate of 152. He scored more than 700 runs in 2012 and 2013
His finest innings came in 2013, when he crushed the Pune Warriors India bowling attack, scoring an unbeaten 175 off 66 balls at a fantastic strike rate of 265 with 14 fours and 17 sixes. Now that’s what we call a long inning. His 175 is the most outstanding individual score in T20 cricket.
Ab De Villiers
Writing a storyline for RCB without Gayle, Virat, and AB is incredibly difficult. Bengaluru supporters have embraced him since he joined RCB. When he visited the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, the team showered him affectionately. Ab De Villiers enjoys his game, entertaining the crowd, hitting inventive strokes, and destroying the opposition’s bowling.
De Villiers scored 3724 runs for RCB at an average of roughly 42 and a strike rate of 159. No doubt he is one of the most lethal middle-order batters in the world and can score runs everywhere over the park, earning him the title of Mr. 360.
One of his favourite strokes is getting down on one knee, exposing all three stumps, and flicking to the fine leg for a six. He can win games on his own any day of the year. He is one of the team’s top acrobatic fielders.
In 2018, he leapt like a man of steel and pulled a blinder on Alex Hales. He jumped, grabbed himself one-handed, and managed to stay inches away from the boundary rope (All in one motion). He is the definition of Incredible.
Mitchell Starc
It was the most challenging spot to choose for the list. The race was between two sprinters, Dale Steyn and Mitchell Starc. The South African loses against the Australian, and Starc’s average and strike rate are significantly superior to the South African’s Dale Steyn, giving him the advantage.
Despite being a top fast bowler, Starc hasn’t featured much in the IPL, having just played for Royal Challengers Bangalore. He was purchased by Royal Challengers Bangalore in the 2014 Indian Premier League (IPL) and quickly became their key bowler.
Zaheer Khan
Legends such the Zaheer Khan and Anil Kumble have plied their craft at the M Chinnaswamy stadium, and RCB has been very fortunate to witness them. Nonetheless, they have been unable to win the championship. He was selected for the inaugural season of the IPL but was released the following season.
In 2011, he returned once more. Zaheer played for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2008 and again from 2011 to 2013. Zak took 49 wickets in 43 matches over his four seasons with RCB, with a strike rate of 20.4 and an average of 26.77. Every team needs a domestic fast bowler. Hence Zaheer deserves to be named to the RCB All-Time Team.
Anil Kumble
Anil Kumble is a spinner in the Royal Challengers Bangalore All-Time XI. He played for the franchise for the first three seasons before retiring from the IPL. Kumble also captained the team in 2009 and 2010. He has 45 scalps under his belt and a 6.57 economy. He is among the best spinners from India. In the IPL, his most exemplary performance was a 5/5 against RR in 2009.
The Royal Challengers Bangalore team has been one of the most thrilling in IPL history. While many groups have admired RCB’s batting strength throughout the years, their bowling arsenal has never been up to par.
Also read this Best All-Rounders In T20 Cricket
Although the Bangalore franchise has not enjoyed much success, they have emerged as runners-up three times (2009, 2011 and 2016) which is a big deal itself. But imagine IPL without a team like RCB and the dynamics of the game change completely.
