3 former RCB players who are now with RR in IPL 2023

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) will face Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the 60th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Sunday, May 14. The game will be significant for both teams, keeping the playoffs qualification scenarios in mind.

Looking at the IPL 2023 points table, Rajasthan are fifth with 12 points from 12 matches. After losing three matches in a row, they made an impressive comeback by defeating Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by nine wickets in their previous outing. However, RR will need to beat Bangalore to stay in contention for a place in the playoffs.

Bangalore are sailing in a similar boat. After 11 matches, they have 10 points to their name. They have lost their last two games. After going down against the Delhi Capitals (DC) by seven wickets, they also lost to Mumbai Indians (MI) by six wickets. They cannot afford any more slip-ups.

Speaking of the RR vs RCB clash, a few players who are presently with Rajasthan were earlier part of the Bangalore franchise. We look at three such names.

---

#3 Shimron Hetmyer

Shimron Hetmyer represented Bangalore in 2019. Pic: BCCI

Shimron Hetmyer has been a key member of the RR outfit after he was purchased by the franchise at the IPL 2022 auction for ₹8.50 crore.

He made his IPL debut for RCB in the 2019 season. The left-handed batter had a disappointing edition, scoring only 90 runs in five matches at an average of 18 and a strike rate of 123.28. Out of his 90 runs, 75 came in one innings.

Hetmyer represented Delhi Capitals (DC) in the 2020 and 2021 IPL seasons. In 26 matches for the Delhi franchise, he scored 427 runs at an average of 28.46 and a strike rate of 158.73, with one half-century.

Speaking of his numbers for RR, the West Indian cricketer has played 27 games so far, scoring 532 runs at an average of 40.92 and an impressive strike rate of 150.28. He has two half-centuries to his credit.

Overall, Hetmyer has played 58 IPL matches, scoring 1050 runs at an average of 31.82 and a strike rate of 150.86.

---

#2 Devdutt Padikkal

Devdutt Padikkal scored a hundred during his stint with Royal Challengers Bangalore. Pic: BCCI

Devdutt Padikkal was purchased by Rajasthan Royals at the IPL 2022 auction for ₹7.75 crore.

Before that, he represented RCB from 2020-2021. During his stint with Bangalore, he played 29 matches, hammering 884 runs at an average of 31.57 and a strike rate of 125.03.

The left-handed batter smashed 473 runs in 15 matches in his debut IPL season in 2020, winning the Emerging Player Award. In the 2021 season, he notched up his maiden IPL ton, clobbering an unbeaten 101 off 52 balls at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai as RCB hammered Rajasthan Royals, Padikkal’s current franchise, by 10 wickets.

The 22-year-old has had a comparatively underwhelming time since joining the Rajasthan franchise. Having played 26 matches in the pink jersey, he has scored 582 at a disappointing average of 23.28 and a strike rate of 123.30, with only two half-centuries to show for his efforts.

---

#1 Yuzvendra Chahal

Yuzvendra Chahal was surprisingly released by RCB ahead of the IPL 2022 mega auction. (Pic: BCCI)

Seasoned leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal is the first name that comes to mind instantly when we speak about players who have represented both RCB and RR.

He did a stellar job for RCB from 2014 to 2021. In fact, he remains Bangalore’s most successful bowler. In 113 matches for RCB, Chahal claimed 139 wickets at an average of 22.03 and an economy rate of 7.58.

Despite his stupendous record, which included two four-wicket hauls, Chahal was not retained by RCB ahead of the IPL 2022 mega auction. RCB’s loss turned out to be RR’s gain as the Rajasthan franchise purchased him for ₹6.50 crore at the 2022 auction.

The 32-year-old has continued to impress for his current franchise. In 29 matches for RR, he has already claimed 48 wickets at an average of 18.37 and an economy rate of 7.81. Chahal has already climbed to fourth on the list of leading wicket-takers for Rajasthan.

During the game against KKR, the leg-spinner also became the all-time leading wicket-taker in the IPL. Chahal has played 143 matches in the T20 league in which he has claimed 187 wickets at an average of 21.28 and an economy rate of 7.64.