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Royal Challengers Bangalore is a puzzle that has hounded the franchise fans for all these years. The star power of their team is unquestionable, yet the side has discovered ways to drag itself to the bottom. Despite being studded with Virat Kohli, AB De Villiers, and Chris Gayle, the Bangalore-based team is still to touch the IPL silverware.
In 2018, RCB assembled a magnificent unit together, and it was thought to be the season when the Southern franchise would break its title drought. Few terrible team management decisions ruined the opportunity, and the Royal Challengers remain winless.
Over the years, even fate has refused to side with RCB. They at times acquired a player with enormous enthusiasm, but he failed to deliver as expected. On his expulsion, he went away and performed splendidly for a different franchise. Here are five such players who benefitted from getting out of the Royal Challengers Bangalore shadow.
#5. KL Rahul
The Karnataka batsman first arrived on the IPL scene in 2013 when he played as the wicketkeeper-batsman for his local side. The talented right-hander played five games in his first season where he scored only 20 runs. He was then purchased by Sunrisers Hyderabad but returned to RCB in 2016 after twin failures.
Rahul provided the first glimpse of his capabilities as he gathered 397 runs in the 2016 season with four fifties. Unfortunately, the 26-year old was ruled out from the following season because of a shoulder injury. This prompted the RCB management to release him from the squad.
In 2018 IPL auction, KL Rahul was a sensation. Kings XI Punjab secured his services for a whopping amount of 11 crores and the deal paid dividends. In the very first match, Rahul registered the fastest fifty in the IPL history with 14-ball half-century. He scored a total of 659 runs in 14 matches at an average of 55 with six fifties. The performance must have haunted the RCB team management.
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#4. Shane Watson
The Australian all-rounder was extremely impactful in the first-ever IPL. Shane Watson won the Man of the tournament award in the inaugural season of 2008 and played a significant role in Rajasthan Royals winning the competition. Since then the blonde Australian remained in tremendous demand.
Royal Challengers Bangalore first bought Watson in 2016 when Rajasthan Royals were suspended from the IPL. He was the highest paid player in the 2016 auction as RCB paid 1.4 Million dollars to purchase him. In 2017, the Australian all-rounder also captained the side for a few matches in the absence of Virat Kohli. However, Watson failed to deliver the hoped-for results and contributed only 250 runs in 24 matches across two seasons.
In 2018, Shane Watson joined Chennai Super Kings and his IPL form took a U-turn. Opening the innings, he enjoyed his best-ever season with 555 runs in 15 matches. Watson scored two centuries in the IPL, one of which was in the final match against Sunrisers Hyderabad. He was awarded Man of the match for his sterling knock.
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#3. Dinesh Karthik
IPL fans will be hard-pressed to remember Dinesh Karthik’s stint for Royal Challengers Bangalore. The Tamil Nadu wicket-keeper batsman did turn out for the Bangalore-based franchise for a season in 2015 but the stint proved to be a miserable one.
In the first seven seasons, Karthik had accumulated enough respect for his talent. In 2015, RCB spent 10.5 crores to buy the wicketkeeper from Delhi Daredevils. Karthik featured in as many as 16 matches for the Royal Challengers but scored only 141 runs. His average of 12.81 was the worst in his IPL career, and it was a low that shattered his confidence.
RCB was not interested in retaining Karthik after such a grand failure and the new franchise ‘Gujarat Lions’ picked for only 2.3 crores for IPL 2016. Dinesh Karthik 2.0 delivered splendid performances for the team and was retained for the next season as well. In 2018, he was the captain of Kolkata Knight Riders and won the hearts with his scintillating batting and captaincy.
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#2. Parthiv Patel
The diminutive wicketkeeper from Gujarat often contributed a lot to the IPL teams. Parthiv Patel began his IPL career with Chennai Super Kings and was successful alongside Matthew Hayden in the opening role. He sought various teams after 2010 and was picked up by Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2014.
The 2014 season proved to be a mediocre one for Parthiv. In 12 matches, he totaled only 205 runs at an average of 20.50 and crossed the 50-run mark only once. Even his strike rate lingered at around 111. In 2015, it was the Mumbai Indians who bid for Parthiv Patel and obtained him from the Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Parthiv immediately improved his numbers. In 2015, he scored 339 runs from 14 matches and raised his average to 26.07. He suffered another dip in form in the subsequent season but recovered once again. In an intriguing twist, RCB bought back Parthiv for the 2018 season. He performed well in the limited chances he received in this season (153 runs in six matches).
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#1. Moises Henriques
The IPL was once a thriving place for the Australian cricketers. Decent performances in the domestic cricket were enough for the Australians to earn a hefty contract in the IPL as the franchises saw them through the rosy glasses. Moises Henriques was one such player who was picked prematurely by the IPL teams, and one victim of those was Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Henriques had scored only 49 runs in first five matches across two IPL seasons (2009 and 2010). He was picked by RCB in 2013, and the all-rounder did well to establish himself in the tournament. Henriques scored 165 runs at an average of 44 and snared seven wickets with the ball as well.
Sunrisers Hyderabad pounced on Moises in the next season. He did not deliver instantly but shined in the next three seasons for the franchise. Henriques chipped in with valuable contributions and was a vital cog in SRH’s wheel.
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