IPL: All-time RCB XI

Royal Challengers Bangalore are one of the most decorated teams in the IPL. Despite having a lot of big names in their squad over the years, they are deprived of the prestigious IPL trophy in their cabinet. The franchise has made three final appearances in the IPL, losing all of them.

The Royal Challengers have a huge fan base all over India and especially in the city of Bangalore. The team will be lead by the Indian skipper Virat Kohli while Daniel Vettori will serve as the head coach for upcoming IPL 2018.

The team has had many high profile players in the past. Let us make an all-time XI of the star studded players they have had over the years.

#1 Chris Gayle

The West-Indian batsman was bought in as a replacement for injured Dirk Nannes in the middle of the 2011 season of the IPL. Gayle has single-handedly won several games for the Challengers. He is considered one of the most lethal batsman to have played the format. He won the "Player of the Tournament Award" in his debut season with RCB.

Gayle has scored 3163 runs for Royal Challengers Bangalore from 85 matches at an impressive strike rate of 151.20.

#2 Manish Pandey

The Indian middle order batsmen was included in the RCB squad for IPL 2009. He managed to score 168 runs from 5 matches which included a masterclass innings of 114*. He was retained by the RCB management for the next season, but the youngster could not live up to the expectations and struggled to score runs throughout the season. In his short time with the franchise, Pandey played a total of 18 games scoring 417 runs and was one of the few bright spots of the team.

#3 Virat Kohli

Indian skipper Virat Kohli has been one of the most consistent player in the RCB side. He has performed calmly and consistently under pressure, and has delivered many match winning performances in the last few years. He has been with the franchise since the inception of the league, scoring a massive 4418 runs from 149 matches.

By making him in charge of the team for a few games in IPL 2012, the Royal Challengers Bangalore groomed him as the next leader, which he eventually became in 2013 season. He was the only player retained by the side going into IPL 2014 player auction. He will once again be captaining the side in IPL 2018.

#4 AB de Villiers

AB was bought by the RCB management in IPL 2011 player auction and since then has changed the fortunes of the side. He has been the backbone of RCB batting lineup for several seasons and has successfully managed to steal victory from the jaws of defeat on many occasions.

Rightly termed as Mr 360, he has displayed his unique batting ability of smashing huge sixes all over the park. He has always been a prolific run scorer for the side since his inclusion in the team.

#5 Robin Uthappa (WK)

The Karnataka batsman is a talented stroke-maker who has all the shots in the book. He was signed by Mumbai Indians in the inaugural season before being traded to the Royal Challengers Bangalore. He was a utility player who could bat at any position and give great stability to the team. He is also an outstanding fielder and a reliable wicket-keeper. He played a total of 31 games for RCB accumulating 549 runs.

#6 Ross Taylor

Taylor was picked by Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL 2018 player auction. He was the backbone of RCB batting line and played several innings of individual brilliance. An innings of note was a destructive 83* of 33 balls against KKR in 2009.

Having played for multiple franchises over the years, Ross Taylor had his best season in the Garden City. He won many hearts of Royal Challengers Bangalore fans while playing for the franchise.

#7 Anil Kumble

The legendary spin bowler Anil Kumble was a part of the Bangalore franchise in the IPL, and took over as captain mid-way through the second season. His captaincy proved to be a boost for the struggling franchise as they made it to the finals that season.

Kumble announced his retirement from all forms of the game ahead of IPL 2011 player auction and was immediately roped in as the mentor of the team. In 2013, Kumble resigned as the mentor of the Bangalore side and took over in the same role for Mumbai

#8 Vinay Kumar

It's not often that despite bowling in the shadows of Zaheer Khan, an inexperienced medium pacer emerges as his team's top wicket-taker. Vinay Kumar did it in IPL 2012 picking up 19 wickets in 15 matches.

His talent was recognized by Royal Challengers Bangalore and had him in their ranks for the first three editions of the league. Later on he was bought back in 2012 IPL Player auction and once again in the auction ahead of 2014 season.

#9 Yuzvendra Chahal

Young spinning sensation Yuzvendra Chahal made debut for RCB in IPL 2014 and since then has grown on to become the linchpin of Royal Challengers Bangalore's spin attack. He has played 56 games for RCB, picking a total of 70 wickets.

Chahal is one of the few bowlers who does not mind luring the batsmen with his flight, with several of his wickets have come with batsmen attempting to clear the fence.

#10 Dale Steyn

Few fast bowlers evoke the kind of excitement one experiences when Dale Steyn is in full flow. He was always destined for greatness and has been compared with all time legends. Steyn was a vital cog in the RCB team during his time with the franchise, churning out important spells for the team during crunch situatuations. He spent his first three seasons of IPL with Royal Challengers Bangalore picking 27 wickets from 28 matches with an economy of 6.66.

#11 Sreenath Aravind

An impressive first-class record earned Sreenath Aravind his maiden IPL contract with RCB. He played 14 games from 2011-2012 and picked up 21 wickets, including a 4-wicket haul.

Tough he might not be a big name in International cricket, he has been trusted by the RCB management over the years. The fast bowler too has lived up to the expectations and delivered crucial performances for the franchise.