Greatest RCB XI of all time
The Royal Challengers Bangalore has been one of the most enigmatic sides in the history of the Indian Premier League.
From producing some exhilarating cricket that bewilders fans as well as critics, to a complete meltdown, RCB fans have been accustomed to varying emotions.
Three-time IPL finalists (2009, 2011, 2016), the RCB have over the years boasted of some of the perennial superstars of T20 cricket. That said, today in this article, we will try and form the greatest RCB XI of all time.
#1 Chris Gayle
The Jamaican superstar Chris Gayle came in as an injury replacement for Dirk Nannes mid-way into the 2011 edition of the IPL, and thus kickstarted an association with the franchise that saw the West Indian rise to new heights in the T20 format.
For three consecutive seasons, i.e. 2011, 2012 and 2013, Gayle amassed more than 600 runs (608, 733 and 708) that included four swashbuckling hundreds, none better than the 175 not out, which he compiled against the Pune Warriors India in 2013.
In all, Gayle amassed 3163 runs for Royal Challengers Bangalore from 85 matches at an impressive strike rate of 151.20. After RCB decided not to retain him in IPL 2018 auctions, Gayle was racked up by KXIP at his base price. He hammered two tons for the new franchise in the just-concluded season.
#2 KL Rahul
KL Rahul found his mojo during the stint at RCB. While Rahul missed the 2017 season due to injury, his most productive outing came in 2016, where he scored 397 runs at a strike-rate of 146.89 including four fifties.
Rahul was bought by Kings XI Punjab in the 2018 IPL Auctions after RCB decided not to retain the Karnataka batsman. The decision came back to bite Kohli's men as Rahul had a watershed year for KXIP. He finished with 659 runs at an average of 54.91 and a pulsating strike-rate of 158.41.