11 years back, Royal Challengers Bangalore clashed with Kolkata Knight Riders in the inaugural match of the Indian Premier League. They arguably had the weakest side in that edition and won only four out of their 14 matches. The main reason for their disastrous performance was the lack of match winners and proper T20 batsmen.
They finished as runners- up in the next season under the captaincy of Anil Kumble. Since then they have reached the finals twice but have not been able to win the coveted trophy. This season they probably have their most balanced squad yet and they will hope to break their title curse under Virat Kohli.
In this article, we take a look at the careers of players who represented RCB in their first match in the IPL.
#1 Rahul Dravid
“The Wall” of Indian cricket was the leader of the Royal Challengers Bangalore during their first match against the Kolkata Knight Riders. After a disappointing stint in Bangalore, Rahul Dravid moved to Rajasthan Royals where he played an integral role in building a vibrant young team. He is currently serving as the coach of Indian Under-19 side and India-A team and has already guided the youngsters to World cup glory.
#2 Wasim Jaffer
The veteran Mumbai batsman opened alongside Dravid against KKR. He played only 23 T20s throughout his career. After moving to Vidharba from Mumbai, Wasim Jaffer has played a crucial role in Vidharba’s back to back Ranji trophy victories and even at 41 years of age, he is still a valuable player in the domestic circuit.
#3 Virat Kohli
How much difference can 11 years make? The angry young kid from the outskirts of Delhi has the world at his feet and has broken an uncountable number of batting records. Virat Kohli is all set to lead a strong Indian outfit at the World Cup in England and will be hoping to win the trophy with RCB this season.
#4 Jacques Kallis
One of the greatest players this game has ever seen has remained firmly away from the spotlight since retiring from cricket. In the IPL, Jacques Kallis is currently serving as the head coach of Kolkata Knight Riders and he spends his leisure time in golf courses in Cape Town.
#5 Cameron White
Cameron White never satisfied the huge amount of expectations surrounding him during the initial days of his career. He went on to represent Australia in 91 ODIs and was also a handy legspinner in limited overs cricket. He represented Melbourne Renegades during the recently concluded BBL and represents Victoria in Australia’s domestic competitions.
#6 Mark Boucher
The most prolific wicketkeeper in the history of cricket bid goodbye to the game after sustaining a career-ending eye injury while keeping without a helmet. Mark Boucher is now the coach of Titans cricket team which takes part in domestic franchise tournaments in South Africa.
#7 Balachandra Akhil
The medium pacer from Karnataka struggled to put up consistent performances and he represented Karnataka for the last time in 2009. Currently, he is the captain of Namma Shivamogga cricket team which takes part in the Karnataka Premier League. He was a part of the Kannada commentary team in the IPL 2018.
#8 Ashley Noffke
The Queensland born fast bowler represented Western Australia until the 2010 season and took 386 wickets in his first-class career. During May 2018, he was appointed as the assistant coach of the Australian women’s team.
#9 Praveen Kumar
Famous for his ability to swing the new ball, Praveen Kumar bowled some spectacular spells throughout his career. He went on to represent Kings XI Punjab, Gujarat Lions and Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL. The veteran fast bowler has taken 90 wickets in IPL and 34 of them came for Royal Challengers Bangalore. He announced retirement from all forms of cricket in 2018.
#10 Zaheer Khan
Zaheer Khan played for RCB in three IPL seasons. He has also played for Delhi and Mumbai in the IPL. The left-arm fast bowler has taken 102 wickets in IPL history and most of them came for Bangalore.
The Indian pace bowling legend had a magnificent career and retired from cricket in 2014 after a series of injuries. He now serves as an analyst for Cricbuzz and played in the T10 League in Dubai. He will be the Director of Cricket operations for Mumbai Indians in the IPL 2019.
#11 Sunil Joshi
Sunil Joshi has played only four games in IPL and taking just one wicket. The veteran left-arm spinner picked up 615 first-class wickets in his illustrious domestic career and represented India in 15 Tests. In 2017, he was appointed as a spin consultant for the Bangladesh cricket team and recently extended his contract until 2019 World Cup.
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