5 players whose careers blossomed after leaving RCB
Royal Challengers Bangalore is a puzzle that has hounded the franchise fans for all these years. The star power of their team is unquestionable, yet the side has discovered ways to drag itself to the bottom. Despite being studded with Virat Kohli, AB De Villiers, and Chris Gayle, the Bangalore-based team is still to touch the IPL silverware.
In 2018, RCB assembled a magnificent unit together, and it was thought to be the season when the Southern franchise would break its title drought. Few terrible team management decisions ruined the opportunity, and the Royal Challengers remain winless.
Over the years, even fate has refused to side with RCB. They at times acquired a player with enormous enthusiasm, but he failed to deliver as expected. On his expulsion, he went away and performed splendidly for a different franchise. Here are five such players who benefitted from getting out of the Royal Challengers Bangalore shadow.
#5. KL Rahul
The Karnataka batsman first arrived on the IPL scene in 2013 when he played as the wicketkeeper-batsman for his local side. The talented right-hander played five games in his first season where he scored only 20 runs. He was then purchased by Sunrisers Hyderabad but returned to RCB in 2016 after twin failures.
Rahul provided the first glimpse of his capabilities as he gathered 397 runs in the 2016 season with four fifties. Unfortunately, the 26-year old was ruled out from the following season because of a shoulder injury. This prompted the RCB management to release him from the squad.
In 2018 IPL auction, KL Rahul was a sensation. Kings XI Punjab secured his services for a whopping amount of 11 crores and the deal paid dividends. In the very first match, Rahul registered the fastest fifty in the IPL history with 14-ball half-century. He scored a total of 659 runs in 14 matches at an average of 55 with six fifties. The performance must have haunted the RCB team management.
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