Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) the team of resilience and determination, is popular with its fan base. Since the inaugural year, they have added iconic faces in their squad with Virat Kohli being the top one. The team has faced many roller coasters with records of scoring the highest and the lowest total ever, i.e.263/5 and 49 all out in IPL history. Despite being close to the title 3 times, they are yet to get their 1st title. Irrespective of titles, they are one of the top 3 most expensive and popular teams of IPL.
Captain: Faf du Plessis |
Coach: Andy Flower |
Home Ground: M. Chinnaswamy Stadium |
IPL Titles: 0 |
Owners: United Spirits (Diageo India Private Limited) |
RCB IPL 2024 Squad
RCB IPL 2024 Matches
RCB will play their first match of the 2024 IPL season against CSK at M.A.Chidambaram Stadium on 22nd March. They return home for a three-match stint to face Punjab Kings in their second match on March 25th, Kolkata Knight Riders on March 29th and Lucknow Super Giants on April 2nd at M.Chinnaswamy Stadium. RCB then travel to Jaipur to lock horns against Rajasthan Royals on 6th April.
Date | Time | Match | Venue |
---|---|---|---|
22nd March | 7:30 PM | CSK vs RCB | Chennai |
25th March | 7:30 PM | RCB vs PBKS | Bengaluru |
29th March | 7:30 PM | RCB vs KKR | Bengaluru |
2nd April | 7:30 PM | RCB vs LSG | Bengaluru |
6th April | 7:30 PM | RR vs RCB | Jaipur |
11th April | 7:30 PM | MI vs RCB | Mumbai |
15th April | 7:30 PM | RCB vs SRH | Bengaluru |
21st April | 3:30 PM | KKR vs RCB | Kolkata |
25th April | 7:30 PM | SRH vs RCB | Hyderabad |
28th April | 7:30 PM | GT vs RCB | Ahmedabad |
4th May | 7:30 PM | RCB vs GT | Bengaluru |
9th May | 7:30 PM | PBKS vs RCB | Dharamsala |
12th May | 7:30 PM | RCB vs DC | Bengaluru |
18th May | 7:30 PM | RCB vs CSK | Bengaluru |
Journey of RCB in IPL
In 2008, Vijay Mallya bought the team from BCCI for $ 111.6 million as one of the expensive franchises. The team got test veterans like Rahul Dravid in 1st season however they couldn’t live up to their name. Over the decades, RCB has seen dominating opening pairs like Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli, and AB De Villiers, but their bowling unit is a different story.
However Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) bounced back between 2009 and 2011, when they entered the playoffs all three times and finished as runners-up twice. They invested heavily in many high-profile names, but the middle order remained a problem for them. After 2016, the team right from management and players has seen a change in performance from the batting and bowling lineup. Players like Yuzvendra Chahal, Harshal Patel, and Mohammad Siraj made their contribution.
The Highs
Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble took the team to runner-ups in 2009 after hitting rock bottom in 2008. Chris Gayle’s entry was a turning point as he single-handedly scored to lead the team into the finals.
The Lows
RCB started the tournament with former test players like Rahul Dravid, and Wasim Jaffer in the team. Their lack of performance with the red ball, and decisions like sacking CEO Charu Sharma mid-season, the series of failures didn’t leave RCB in 2008. Their tradition of changing coaches after every season has been drastic till they got Mike Hesson in 2020.
Season by Season Performance of RCB
2023 – 6th Place
In the second stint as captain Faf du Plessis was at his absolute best smashing 730 runs 14 matches. But his heroics with the bat couldn’t power RCB into the top four as they finished the season at sixth with seven wins. The season witnessed the best of Glenn Maxwell but a deprived bowling attack didn’t help their cause. Another season of heartbreak and disappointment for the fans from Bengaluru.
2022 – 3rd Place
Under the leadership of former South African international Faf du Plessis, Royal Challengers Bangalore had the new big three. Virat Kohli (341 runs) , Faf du Plessis (468 runs) and Glenn Maxwell (301 runs) joined forces and demolished every bowling attack in the tournament. In the bowling department Josh Hazlewood (20 wickets) and Harshal Patel (19 wickets) were the top performers with the ball. RCB finished the league stage at 4th place. RCB managed to defeat LSG in the eliminator but were taken down by Rajasthan Royals (RR) in qualifier 2.
2021 – 4th Place
RCB were one win away from finishing in the top two position in the points table, but a loss against SRH meant that RCB finished third in the league stages. RCB then faced inform Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in IPL 2021 eliminator where they were beaten compressively by four wickets. RCB’s finished the season as the fourth best team. Another season of heartbreak continued for Royal Challengers Bangalore.
2020 – 4th Place
With seven wins and a better net run rate than KKR, RCB reached the 2020 IPL Playoffs. But they were against their long time rivals Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) who defeated them by six wickets and sent RCB back home. The season saw the emergence of Devdutt Padikkal (473 runs) and Yuzvendra Chahal (21 wickets). While Virat Kohli (466 runs) and Ab de Villiers (454 runs) were at their best.
2019 – 8th Place
A season that RCB would like to forget for good after the debacle in 2019. Royal Challengers Bangalore finished at the bottom of the table with just five wins in 14 matches. Virat Kohli (464 runs), Ab de Villiers (442 runs) and Yuzvendra Chahal (18 wickets) were the top performers.
2018 – 6th Place
Kohli and De Villiers took the batting responsibility of RCB by scoring 530 and 480 in the tournament. Only Mandeep Singh in the Middle order managed to score 252. With marginal chances to qualify, their loss against Rajasthan Royals eliminated their chances.
2017 – 8th Place
Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers got injured and the batting lineup continued to collapse exposing RCB’s dependency on them. Thus, RCB had 3 wins in 14 games. The misery didn’t end as RCB got all out at 49 against Kolkata Knight Riders which is still a record.
2016 – 2nd Place
A season where the King Kohli lighted up the IPL by scoring 973 runs in 16 matches and became the first batsman to score over 900 runs in an IPL season. A season that will remembered for the heroics of AB de Villiers 79* runs against Gujarat Lions (GL) in the semifinals to take RCB to their second IPL final. It was the best ever season for RCB in terms of records, team combination and performances. But they couldn’t cross the final hurdle by 8 runs in the 2016 IPL final versus their long time rivals Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).
2015 – 3rd Place
The batting line-up in RCB continued to revolve around Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, and Chris Gayle. RCB bought Dinesh Karthik in the auction which failed to perform. However, RCB saw positives from the bowling unit Chahal, Starc, Harshal Patel, and S Aravind were impressed with their performances. They lost against CSK in the qualifiers.
2014 – 7th Place
Daniel Vettori took over as the head coach of RCB and the team spent huge in the auction for Yuvraj Singh though he didn’t perform. RCB struggled throughout the league stage as Kohli had an ordinary season, Yuvraj didn’t perform, and Chris Gayle had the worst season. Amidst all this, Yuzvendra Chahal emerged as a breakthrough.
2013 – 5th Place
Chris Gayle again went all out for RCB with 700 plus runs in a season and the highest individual score 175 not out vs Pune Warriors. This was also the season when Virat Kohli took over RCB’s Captaincy and became an irreplaceable player for the franchise.
2012 – 5th Place
RCB had a mixed season with ups and downs, their league stage came to a point when a win against Deccan Chargers was required to reach playoffs. They fell short against former RCB player Dale Steyn. However, it was good for Chris Gayle as he reached the 700-run mark in the season which remains his best season to date.
2011 – 2nd Place
RCB again made a good comeback but fell short in the finals under Daniel Vettori. Despite starting poorly and lack of batting performance, they led the team to finals when Chris Gayle came in as a replacement for Dirk Nannes. RCB lost their second final against CSK.
2010 – 3rd Place
Bangalore took the lead and performed well in the league stage, but fell short against Mumbai Indians. Their opener Robin Uthappa made consistent runs for the team throughout the season, but it was his last year with the franchise.
2009 – 2nd Place
To change the game, RCB appointed a new Captain Anil Kumble after they had a low start under Kevin Peterson. The strategy did work for them as they ended the tournament as runners-up. Manish Pandey was the star of their 1st century Indian premier league team.
2008 – 7th Place
Despite having a tactically strong team onboard, RCB had a poor start in the inaugural year of the league. Under the captaincy, Rahul Dravid felt pressure and the team didn’t have depth. Moreover, they could only win 4 out of 14 matches leading to 7th position.
Season | Performance |
---|---|
2023 | 6th Place |
2022 | 3rd Place |
2021 | 4th Place |
2020 | 4th Place |
2019 | 8th Place |
2018 | 6th Place |
2017 | 8th Place |
2016 | 2nd Place (Runner-up) |
2015 | 3rd Place |
2014 | 7th Place |
2013 | 5th Place |
2012 | 5th Place |
2011 | 2nd Place (Runner-up) |
2010 | 3rd Place |
2009 | 2nd Place (Runner-up) |
2008 | 7th Place |
Top 5 Run-Scorers for RCB
Virat Kohli is the leading run-scorer for RCB with 7687 runs in 252 matches. Ab de Villiers (4522 runs), Chris Gayle (3420 runs) are the second and third best batsman for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the history of IPL. They always had the best T20 batsman in the world. But two all-rounders, Jacques Kallis (1271 runs) and Glenn Maxwell (1214 runs) made it to the top five run-scorers RCB.
- Virat Kohli- 7687 runs in 252 matches
- AB de Villiers- 4522 runs in 157 matches
- Chris Gayle- 3420 runs in 91 matches
- Jacques Kallis- 1271 runs in 46 matches
- Glenn Maxwell- 1214 in 42 matches
Top 5 Wicket Takers for RCB
A team that is known for their batting prowess and bowlers are where bowlers were barely appreciated two players stood out as the best bowlers to ever play for RCB. Yuzvendra Chahal with 139 wickets in 113 matches is the leading wicket taker for RCB.
- Yuzvendra Chahal- 139 wickets in 113 matches
- Harshal Patel- 99 wickets in 80 matches
- Vinay Kumar- 80 wickets in 70 matches
- Mohammed Siraj- 68 wickets in 73 matches
- Anil Kumble- 53 wickets in 51 matches