Ranking all RCB captains from IPL 2008 to 2020

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) are one of the few franchises that are yet to lift the Indian Premier League (IPL) trophy.

Over the years, the RCB management has made plenty of chopping and changing of their roster, but they haven't managed to go all the way in the competition. They have also made a few changes to their captaincy, but their luck hasn't changed it.

Before Virat Kohli took over RCB's reins in 2013, legends like Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble led the side in IPL. While Kohli has undoubtedly been RCB's most successful captain, let's find out how various RCB captains have fared over the years.

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Rahul Dravid

Rahul Dravid, a former India captain, led RCB in the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League in 2008.

Dravid captained the team in 14 matches but managed only four wins as RCB failed to reach the next stage of the competition.

The elegant batsman represented RCB for three seasons before shifting his base to Rajasthan. Overall, Dravid played 89 IPL games, scoring 2174 runs, including 11 fifties.

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Kevin Pietersen

A player oozing style and swag. One of the most explosive and innovative batsmen of his time and a former RCB captain. 🔥Episode 5️⃣ of Legends of RCB ft. Kevin Pietersen. 👑 #PlayBold #LegendsOfRCB pic.twitter.com/ZBXurQVpVQ

— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) May 22, 2020

Kevin Pietersen bagged a lucrative IPL deal with RCB. He was handed captaincy responsibilities of RCB in 2009, but he fared poorly.

Under the former England international, RCB won only two of six matches. Anil Kumble was handed the team's captaincy after Kevin Pietersen left the tournament to report for international duty,

RCB scripted an amazing turnaround under Kumble and reached the final of IPL 2009. However, they ended their campaign as runners-up.

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Anil Kumble

The legendary leg-spinner fared well as RCB captain. Being a local boy, he understood the pulse of the team and knew the conditions better than anybody else.

Kumble led RCB in 35 matches across two seasons, winning 19 games and losing 16. He guided RCB to the IPL final in 2009. In the next edition of the competition, RCB qualified for the playoffs but failed to make the final, though.

Overall, Anil Kumble played 42 IPL matches, picking up 45 wickets at an economy rate of 6.57. Currently, he is the head coach of Punjab Kings (previously known as Kings XI Punjab).

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Daniel Vettori

#OnThisDay in 2️⃣0️⃣1️⃣1️⃣, RCB qualified for the final, thanks to Chris Gayle’s 8️⃣9️⃣(47) and Daniel Vettori’s 3️⃣/1️⃣9️⃣(4) helped us beat MI by 4️⃣3️⃣ runs. 🙌🏻#PlayBold #WeAreChallengers pic.twitter.com/ASwaCFimLX

— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) May 27, 2021

Former New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori led RCB in the 2011 and 2012 editions of the cash-rich league. He led the team in 28 games across competitions, recording 15 wins and losing 13.

In 2011, Vettori took RCB to their second IPL final, but they came up short against MS Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings, who lifted their maiden title in the competition.

Overall, Vettori has represented RCB in 34 games, scalping 28 wickets at an economy rate of 6.78. Following his retirement, Vettori was RCB's head coach from 2014 to 2018.

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Virat Kohli

Current RCB captain Virat Kohli assumed reins of the team in 2013. Although he stepped up in the absence of Daniel Vettori in IPL 2012 for a couple of games, it was in 2013 that he became the franchise's full-time captain.

Under his captaincy, RCB reached the 2016 IPL final, where they lost against Sunrisers Hyderabad. RCB have made it to the IPL playoffs thrice under Kohli but have only played one final.

The all-time highest run-scorer in IPL history, Virat Kohli has led RCB in 125 matches, winning 55. Kohli-led RCB made a superb start to this year's campaign. They were placed in the top four when the T20 tournament got suspended owing to COVID-19 breaches happening in the bio-bubbles of multiple teams.