IPL: All-time XI of Royal Challengers Bangalore
Despite never lifting the IPL title, Royal Challengers Bangalore have enjoyed the love of fans throughout the twelve seasons. In almost every season, the Kohli-led side saw superstars propelling the team to new heights. Although they came close to winning the title in 2016, the seasons that followed turned out to be forgettable. In this article, we analyze RCB's all-time XI.
Gayle and Rahul open the batting
Chris Gayle, who slammed five tons for RCB, opens the batting alongside KL Rahul. The duo consistently gave RCB some solid starts at the top. Rahul Dravid makes the cut at number three, followed by skipper Virat Kohli. Kohli is the presently the leading run-scorer in IPL with 5,412 runs at 37.84. The dangerous AB de Villiers (4,395 runs) comes in at number five.
Jacques Kallis is the marquee all-rounder
Before joining the Kolkata Knight Riders camp, Jacques Kallis was an integral member of RCB (2008-10). He single-handedly snatched quite a few victories from the jaws of defeat during his tenure. He aggregated 1,271 runs and scalped 30 wickets for RCB (T20s). Kallis owns the number six spot with Pawan Negi emerging as the second all-rounder. His left-arm spin brings variety to the table.
Steyn and Zaheer lead RCB's pace attack
Indian bowling legend Zaheer Khan starts the proceedings with Dale Steyn complimenting him. Although Vinay Kumar and Sreenath Arvind are the top two wicket-takers among pacers, Zaheer's experience edges them out. Anil Kumble and Yuzvendra Chahal are the two wrist-spinners to bolster the spin department. While Kumble led RCB's successful campaign in 2009, the latter presently tops the wickets column (100).
Royal Challengers Bangalore's all-time XI
RCB's all-time XI: Chris Gayle, KL Rahul (wk), Rahul Dravid, Virat Kohli (C), AB de Villiers, Jacques Kallis, Pawan Negi, Anil Kumble, Zaheer Khan, Dale Steyn, Yuzvendra Chahal
