3 times a former RCB player criticized the franchise 

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) have not been able to win a single title in the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 16 years. They have tried everything and everyone but their wait for the elusive title still continues.

The franchise has always been criticized for being impatient with its squad construction and letting players go at the wrong time.

In a recent podcast hosted by Ranveer Allahbadia, former RCB leg spinner Yuzvendra Chahal expressed his displeasure with his previous franchise for not retaining him prior to the mega auction in 2021.

He revealed his anger and disappointment at the manner of his parting with side ahead of the IPL 2022 season, saying he did not even "receive any phone call" from the franchise.

"When I put my name up for the auction, they promised me that they would go all out for me. I said 'okay', but then I was not picked, I was very angry for two-three days. I did not speak to the coaches for two or three days. Even when I played my first match for RR against RCB, I did not speak to anyone," Chahal said.

Ahead of that auction, Chahal had said, "Obviously, I want to go to RCB again," in an interview with Ravichandran Ashwin on the latter's YouTube channel. But as it transpired, they did not even bid for him, and the Rajasthan Royals acquired him for INR 6.5 crore.

It's not the first time a former RCB player has been critical of the franchise. There have been players who have criticized the team for its lack of communication or team culture.

In this article, we will talk about former RCB players who have denounced the franchise in the past.

3 times a former RCB player criticized the franchise

#3. "It's not about sponsorships" - Kevin Pietersen

Kevin Pietersen, who represented RCB in the initial years of the IPL, expressed his disappointment after RCB failed to reach the IPL playoffs this year.

According to him, the team had a habit of spending way too much money on acquiring batsmen such as AB de Villiers, Virat Kohli, Chris Gayle, Faf Du Plessis, and Glenn Maxwell, but not enough to assemble a potent bowling attack.

"It doesn't surprise me that RCB didn't qualify for the playoffs. They have spent too much capital on the bats. I've said it before, and I'll keep saying it: batting gets you sponsorships, while bowling wins you premierships," Pietersen wrote in his Betway column.

"And they have never been good enough. They have the most followers on social media, but it's not about sponsorships; it's about taking wickets and getting games over the line," he added.

#2. "Honour to be Released" - Parthiv Patel

Royal Challengers Bangalore was criticized by former India wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel, who once stated that despite his announcing his retirement in December 2020, he was termed a released player by the franchise.

"An absolute honor to be released after being retired,...thank you, @RCBTweets," Patel said in a social media post.

With AB de Villiers keeping the wickets in IPL 2020, Patel lost his opening spot to young Devdutt Padikkal, who emerged as the team's highest run-scorer. A month after the IPL ended, Patel retired from professional cricket. Hence, he was automatically out of the IPL in 2021.

Still, the franchise included his name on the list of released players. The update took Patel by surprise, as he took to Twitter to take a sly dig at the franchise.

#1. "Players don't feel part of the team" - Chris Gayle

Earlier this year, one of the IPL's greats and RCB's hall of fame, Chris Gayle, shocked the world by revealing that the environment of the side was not healthy for players other than big names like Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers.

Discussing with fellow analysts on a show on Jio Cinema, he responded to Robin Uthappa, who said that RCB was more about Kohli and de Villiers. Gayle said:

“Yeah, players do not feel like a part of the team in RCB. They (the franchise) need to learn how to work with words like trust and loyalty."