IPL 2018: All-time playing XI of the Royal Challengers Bangalore
The IPL is entering its second decade and the most exciting news so far has been the return of Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals after being suspended for two years. The two IPL giants will look to make a comeback to the tournament with a bang.
On the other hand, RCB are looking forward to starting afresh in IPL 2018 and have roped in India's 2011 World Cup-winning coach, Gary Kirsten, as well as former Indian pacer, Ashish Nehra, as their batting and bowling coaches, respectively.
Currently, the team led by Virat Kohli hasn’t had much of a success in any edition of the IPL. They might just be the unluckiest out of the eight franchises and have been the runners-up on three occasions - in 2009, 2011 and 2016.
RCB have traditionally had a star-studded batting side, with their clumsy bowling lineup-invariably being their Achilles heel over the years.
Let us have a look at an all-time XI who have played for the Men in Red in the cash-rich league. The list includes players who have had a positive impact on the team through their performances and have played at least 2 seasons for the franchise.
Note: The team consists of seven Indian cricketers and four foreigners:
Openers
#1 Chris Gayle
One of the most explosive opening batsmen in the history of T20, Chris Gayle, joined Royal Challengers in 2011 as a replacement for Dirk Nannes. Joining the team midway through the season, he amassed 608 runs in 12 innings with a dazzling strike rate of 183, with 2 centuries included. In the next two editions in 2012 and 2013, he scored more than 600 runs respectively and that too, with a strike rate of 150.
But in the following seasons, he was unable to produce the same magic and as a result of this, he was not retained by the franchise before the 2018 auctions. He will be donning the jersey of the Kings XI Punjab in April this year.
#2 Virat Kohli
The current Indian skipper of all the three formats of the game and second highest run-getter in the history of IPL, Virat Kohli, has played impressively for the Bengaluru-based franchise.
The right-hander was the captain of the Indian team that won the 2008 ICC U-19 World Cup and was a player who was signed by the RCB as a part of the youth contract after 2008 auction.
From playing at 5-down as a novice to opening the innings as their captain, the rise of the Kohli at RCB has been nothing short of phenomenal. The skillful batsman has been a part of the Bengaluru side since its inception, has featured in 148 matches for them.
He has scored 4,129 runs for the Men in Red with an impressive average of 35.90 over the ten editions.