As I have said earlier, there are different types of teams and players in the game of cricket. There are some who don't get the best of the end results but definitely win your hearts through their performance. Royal Challengers Bangalore is a team which makes me feel so. The team has faced a lot of mocking and trolls throughout their journey but their fans have always believed in them and supported them. They have never lifted the IPL title and can be regarded as one of the unluckiest teams of the IPL. Some call them Chokers, while others call them unlucky. The team that RCB builds every year looks as one of the best on paper but the performance is not reflected as the same in the playground. They have been the second best side of the tournament on three occasions. They have had some very big superstars in their team and according to me, this dream team is going to be one of the best of the lot.
We are here with a series of IPL Dream Teams wherein we will be making All Time XIs of the current eight teams in IPL. During this venture, I am being assisted by Raunit Raj, Ketan Goel, and Amit Vikram Singh who have immense knowledge in the field of cricket. We have gone through every player of each team and tried to pick the best of the lot after considering their statistics and performances for the team. We started with Mumbai Indians then had a look at Kings XI Punjab and then had one on Sunrisers Hyderabad. Now , we bring you the All Time of Royal Challengers Bangalore.
*Statistics of the players are only for their RCB career (both in IPL and Champions League)
1. Chris Gayle ✈️ (2011-17)
There are a lot of obvious choices in this team. The Universe Boss is one of them. He has played majority of his IPL career with RCB and has a strike rate of 154. We all know about Gayle's power and talent. There is obviously no doubt that when he gets going it is very difficult to stop him.
Innings: 90 Runs: 3420 Average: 43.29 S/R*: 154.40
*S/R - Strike Rate
2. Parthiv Patel (wk) (2014, 2018- )
The wicket keeping spot has been a tricky one so far. Not all the teams of IPL have keepers who have stayed with a team for long. For RCB, it was Parthiv and KL Rahul to choose between. Rahul has only played 14 innings for the Royal Challengers while Parthiv has made over 700 runs in 32 innings. The stats are definitely showing a different picture but playing more games gives a fair bit of advantage to Parthiv.
Innings: 32 Runs: 731 Average: 25.2 S/R: 130.07
Rahul Dravid has to be one of the mentions who couldn't find a place in this XI. He has played some good cricket with RCB but sadly doesn't fit in here.
3. Virat Kohli (c) (2008- )
The Indian Skipper is one of the reasons for RCB to have a big and loyal fanbase. Kohli has kept himself committed to the team and has led his team by example. His 2016 season had broken so many records and right now he is the highest run getter in the IPL.
Innings: 183 Runs: 5836 Average: 37.89 S/R: 132.81
4. AB De Villiers ✈️ (2011- )
ABD is one of the most loved foreign players. He too is an obvious choice in this eleven. He has the ability to score in any part of the ground and is a nightmare for bowlers. He has assisted Kohli in every way possible and they form a very good duo.
Innings: 117 Runs: 3755 Average: 41.72 S/R: 159.17
5. Jacques Kallis ✈️ (2008-10)
A player like Kallis is an absolute gem. He can bat anywhere in the order and play as instructed plus he is one of your main bowlers who takes wickets and is economical. Kallis is definitely one of the greatest all rounders in the history of the game. He has been one of the top all rounders for RCB too.
Innings: 46 Runs: 1271 Wickets: 30
6. Ross Taylor ✈️ (2008-10)
The fourth and the final foreign spot goes to Ross Taylor. He had to fight with the bowlers as well as Dilshan to get a spot here. With RCB, middle order has been a problem. They have never had an Indian Middle Order player who has played some good cricket for RCB for long. Yuvraj Singh played just a season with RCB, while Ross Taylor has a great strike rate of 148 along with an average of 31 showing his finishing ability.
Innings: 30 Runs: 733 Average: 31.86 S/R: 148.68
7. Mandeep Singh (2015-18)
A strong all rounder in the form of Kallis gives us an option of an extra batsman in the line up. Mandeep Singh has played 32 innings for RCB and has a strike rate of 129. He makes the cut above Sourabh Tiwary, Kedar Jadhav and Sarfaraz Khan. He looks as a better choice than Pawan Negi and Washington Sundar.
Innings: 32 Runs: 597 Average: 22.11 S/R: 128.94
8. Anil Kumble (2008-10)
Jumbo has the record of highest wicket by an Indian in cricket history. Anil Kumble along with Yuzi Chahal looks like a superb leggie duo. Kumble's experience will definitely help the team. He has one of the best bowling figures of 5/5 in IPL history.
Matches: 51 Wickets: 53 E/R*: 6.65
*E/R - Economy Rate
9. Yuzvendra Chahal (2014- )
Chahal has been one of the biggest success stories of RCB. The way Chahal has managed to emerge in a condition which might not be the best for leg spinners is remarkable. His numbers for RCB, considering the fact that he has played most of his games at Chinnaswamy, is extraordinary.
Matches: 83 Wickets: 100 E/R: 7.77
10. Vinay Kumar (2008-13)
Vinay Kumar is the second highest wicket taker for RCB, just behind Chahal. He has a lot of domestic experience and has been one of the most successful bowlers in the domestic circuit. He has taken 80 wickets for RCB which helps him find a place in this XI.
Matches: 70 Wickets: 80 E/R: 8.31
11. Zaheer Khan (2008-13)
Zak's ability to swing the ball and bowl knuckleballs is well known. He has the experience and an economy rate of 7.8 puts him above Sreenath Aravind in this side.
Matches: 44 Wickets: 49 E/R: 7.85
Do tell us if you have had any other player in mind who might have found a place in the XI. This is the fourth article of our IPL Dream Team Series. We have four more to go. Stay Tuned. Keep Reading Openions!
- Kshitij
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