IPL: 5 best purchases by Royal Challengers Bangalore over the years

Arrrrrrr Ceeeeee Beeeeee! The chant that lights up the whole Chinnaswamy stadium during the IPL is one of the tournament's most iconic. Watching an RCB match in the stadium is worth the price of admission just for its atmosphere.

The RCB team, which has been a part of the IPL since the start of the tournament, has given its fans plenty to cheer for. They are yet to win an IPL title, but the fans have always backed them for the entertainment they have provided for over a decade.

RCB have finished as runners-up thrice (2009, 2011, 2016), while they have finished in the top 4 on five occasions (2009, 2010, 2011, 2015, 2016). They have had the likes of Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble, Zaheer Khan, Ross Taylor and Dale Steyn, whose contributions to the team in the initial years were immense.

From 2011 to 2017, it was the Gayle-Kohli-ABD era which took the league by storm. That knock of 175 off just 66 balls from Gayle in 2013 against Pune Warriors has become the stuff of folklore.

RCB came very close to winning the title in 2016, but lost against SRH by 8 runs. Since then, the team have struggled to find their form, and having won just nine matches against 19 losses across two seasons.

Nonetheless, RCB have always been a team with heavyweights, making some really costly buys in the auction. Let us look back at the best buys of RCB down the years:

1. Virat Kohli

RCB are extremely proud that they have the best batsman in the world in their side.

Kohli was taken into RCB as an uncapped player in 2008, and is one of the few players in IPL history to have played for a single franchise since its inception. He started captaining the squad from 2013, and has led the team from the front on numerous occasions - almost winning them the title in 2016 where he scored 973 runs with 4 tons to his name.

Representing the franchise in 163 matches, Kohli has amassed 4,948 runs at a strike rate of 130.76 with four 100s and 34 50s. He didn’t fare well in the initial years but turned the tide when it mattered, scoring over 300 runs in every season from 2011.

Kohli was the first player to reach the 4000-run milestone in IPL.

At the launch event of his biography, he announced that RCB would be his permanent franchise. Being the highest paid player in IPL history (17 crore), he was retained by his franchise at the 2018 auction.

2. AB de Villiers

Known for his 360-degree batting and great adaptability, AB de Villiers will undoubtedly go down as one of the best batsmen to have played the IPL. He has the ability of winning matches for the team single-handedly.

De Villiers was bought for US$1.5 million in 2011, and has represented the team in 113 matches scoring close to 3300 runs at an astounding strike rate of 150+.

Along with the conventional drives and cuts, De Villiers can surprise you with his innovative shot-making. Nobody will ever forget the assault on Dale Steyn in 2012, when the legendary South African pacer was treated like a second division bowler as he conceded 23 runs in a single over.

If De Villiers gets going, there is no bowler that can stop him. He has been the best finisher for the RCB team, scoring two centuries and 25 fifties with five 100+ partnerships and two 200+ partnerships (both with Virat Kohli).

The 2016 season was his best performance where he accumulated 687 runs at an unbelievable strike rate of 174. He was the second player to be retained by RCB in the 2018 IPL auction.

3. Chris Gayle

After going unsold at the 2011 IPL auction, Chris Gayle was written off by nearly everyone. But out of the blue, he was called up by RCB as the replacement for Dirk Nannes, who had pulled out due to an injury.

Gayle made the most of the opportunity, scoring amazing tons against KKR and KXIP in his debut season for the franchise. He went on to win the Orange Cap that season, scoring over 600 runs in 12 matches.

His contribution took RCB to the final, where they lost out to CSK.

Gayle continued his dominant stint in the shortest format, scoring 733 runs (14 matches) in the following season and grabbing the Orange Cap once again. On 23rd of April 2013, his knock of 175* in 66 balls broke multiple records.

Even though he was not retained by RCB in the 2018 auction, he still remains one of the most impactful players to have ever represented a team. He slammed over 3000 runs across seven seasons, with five centuries and 19 half-centuries. He was also handy when the captain needed a 6th bowler to control the run flow.

The Jamaican giant will definitely go down as one of the best players, not only for RCB but also for IPL.

4. Yuzvendra Chahal

Yuzvendra Chahal is the bowler the captain goes to whenever the team is in need of wickets.

Chahal has been the best bowler for RCB in recent years, and has proven to be extremely effective at deceiving the batsmen with his flight and flippers. He made his IPL debut in 2011 while representing Mumbai Indians, but was bought by RCB in 2014 at his base price of 10 lakh.

From then on, almost every time RCB have won, the contribution of this chess champion has been significant. Having played in 69 matches for the team, he has picked up 82 wickets at an impressive strike rate of 18.18 and an economy of 7.77, which is remarkable considering he is a leg spinner.

Chahal's 2015 and 2016 seasons saw him taking 23 and 21 wickets respectively at jaw-dropping averages of 12.21 and 14.04. In the last two seasons, even with the team producing poor results, he has continued to perform consistently.

In the 2018 auction, Chahal was retained by RCB using the RTM (Right To Match) card.

5. Jacques Kallis

Jacques Kallis was not just the best all-rounder in world cricket, but also the most valuable player for RCB during the 2008-10 period.

Known for his calm and composed approach to the game, Kallis was effective with the bat as well with the ball for the franchise. In the 46 matches that he played, he accumulated 1,271 runs at a decent average of 33.44, with 89* being his highest score.

Kallis' best performance came in 2010 when he finished as the second highest run scorer of the season, amassing 572 runs in 16 matches with six fifties. That also helped RCB reach the knockouts, where they were defeated by Mumbai Indians.

Kallis' contribution with the ball was almost equally good. He provided 30 breakthroughs in 46 matches, with his best performance coming against Guyana in CLT20 where he bagged 3 wickets for just 16 runs.

He moved to KKR at the 2011 auction, but will be fondly remembered by all RCB fans as an extremely valuable player for their team.