Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) have traditionally been underperformers at Indian Premier League (IPL). Despite being consistently among the strongest batting sides of the tournament, they have reached the final on only two occasions, but have never gone the distance. Shiamak Unwalla offers a stats preview for RCB.
Below are the leading run-scorers for RCB since IPL 1:
Player
Period
M
NO
R
HS
Ave
SR
100s
50s
Virat Kohli
2008-2014
107
14
2632
99
30.96
123.85
0
16
Chris Gayle
2011-2014
52
9
2245
175*
53.45
157.54
4
14
AB de Villiers
2011-2014
60
15
1386
89*
36.47
152.47
0
10
Jacques Kallis
2008-2010
42
6
1132
89*
31.44
112.19
0
10
Rahul Dravid
2008-2010
43
3
898
75*
26.41
122.84
0
4
Kohli has been a permanent fixture in the RCB line-up since 2008, and therefore leads the list of run-scorers for RCB. He is followed closely by Gayle, who has scored roughly 400 runs less; but Gayle has played less than half the number of games Kohli has for RCB. They are the only men who have scored over 2,000 runs for RCB, while de Villiers and Kallis have scored over 1,000. IPL 2015 Auction: Kings XI Punjab full list of players bought
NOTE: Gayle’s average of 53.45 is by far the highest for any RCB batsman. This after he had a poor season in 2014 in which he averaged far less than 30.
NOTE: Gayle’s strike rate of 157.54 is also the highest for any RCB batsman, followed closely by de Villiers (152.47). Among current RCB batsmen the next highest strike rate is that of Kohli — 123.85.
NOTE: Kohli has the most fifties for an RCB batsman (16) followed closely by Gayle (14) though the latter also has four centuries, thereby making him the batsman with the most 50-plus scores.
In terms of highest scores, Gayle dominates unlike any other, featuring in four of the top five spots on the list, with Manish Pandey being the only other. Below is the list of five highest scores by an RCB batsman:
Player
Runs
Balls
4s
6s
SR
Against
Chris Gayle
175*
66
13
17
265.15
Pune Warriors India
Chris Gayle
128*
62
7
13
206.45
Delhi Daredevils
MK Pandey
114*
73
10
4
156.16
Deccan Chargers
Chris Gayle
107
49
10
9
218.36
Kings XI Punjab
Chris Gayle
102*
55
10
7
185.45
Kolkata Knight Riders
NOTE: Pandey’s 114 not out against Deccan Chargers in IPL 2009 was the first century by an Indian in the tournament’s history.
NOTE: Gayle’s 175 not out is the highest score in IPL, beating Brendon McCullum’s 158 — incidentally scored against RCB in IPL 1.
NOTE: Gayle’s record of four centuries is the most by any batsman in IPL.
Another record Gayle holds — by a long way — is that of sixes. Below is the table of top five boundary-hitters for RCB:
Below is the list of best figures by an RCB bowler:
Player
Overs
Mdns
Runs
Wkts
Econ
Against
Anil Kumble
3.1
1
5
5
1.57
Rajasthan Royals
Jaydev Unadkat
4
0
25
5
6.25
Delhi Daredevils
Sreenath Aravind
4
0
14
4
3.5
Kings XI Punjab
Anil Kumble
4
0
16
4
4
Deccan Chargers
Anil Kumble
3.3
0
16
4
4.57
Deccan Chargers
Kumble is to RCB’s bowling what Gayle is to their batting. He dominates the best-bowling list with three of the top five spells, each of which came at an economy rate of under five runs an over. His monumental five for five against RR in 2009 signalled a shift in power that saw RCB become a team to watch out for after languishing at the bottom in 2008.
One of the rather surprising features of the RCB bowling is the averages and strike rates:
Player
Period
M
Mdns
W
Ave
Econ
SR
Sreenath Aravind
2011-2012
14
0
21
19.80
8.48
14
Ravi Rampaul
2013-2014
12
4
14
21.28
6.82
18.7
Anil Kumble
2008-2010
42
1
45
23.51
6.57
21.4
Vinay Kumar
2008-2013
64
0
72
25.30
8.37
18.1
Dale Steyn
2008-2010
28
1
27
26.66
6.79
23.5
Sreenath Aravind makes an entry as the man with the best bowling average and strike rate, yet played only two seasons for RCB. On the other hand, Rampaul has excellent numbers but was inexplicably under-played in 2014. He remains the bowler with the highest number of maidens for RCB. IPL 2015 Auction: Full list of players unsold for IPL 8
NOTE: Daniel Vettori has the best economy rate by an RCB bowler, going at an appreciable 6.30, while Kumble (6.57), Steyn (6.79) and Rampaul (6.82) follow as the only ones with an economy of under seven.
Fielding
The fielding of RCB has been by and large quite good. Here is a list of fielders (non-wicketkeepers) with the most catches for RCB:
Player
Period
M
Ct
Virat Kohli
2008-2014
107
42
Vinay Kumar
2008-2013
64
22
AB de Villiers
2011-2014
60
17
Mayank Agarwal
2011-2013
29
15
Jacques Kallis
2008-2010
42
15
Kohli has taken by far the most catches by an RCB fielder, though the surprise entry at No. 2 is Vinay Kumar, who has taken more catches than the likes of de Villiers and Mayank Agarwal — an outstanding fielder in his own right. IPL 2015 Auction: Chennai Super Kings full list of players bought
As for wicketkeeping, Mark Boucher and fellow Protean de Villiers head the show:
Player
Period
M
Dis
Ct
St
Mark Boucher
2008-2010
27
16
13
3
AB de Villiers
2011-2014
60
16
9
7
Arun Karthik
2011-2013
16
13
11
2
Parthiv Patel
2014-2014
12
12
11
1
Robin Uthappa
2009-2010
31
11
7
4
NOTE: Though there seems to be a discrepancy in the number of games de Villiers has played and his dismissals, it should be noted that he has kept wickets in only 30 of his 60 games.
Captaincy
RCB have had five captains so far, though none of them enjoy an outstanding success rate.
Player
Period
M
W
L
T
NR
Win %
Virat Kohli
2011-2014
40
19
18
2
1
51.28
Anil Kumble
2009-2010
26
15
11
0
0
57.69
Daniel Vettori
2011-2012
22
12
10
0
0
54.54
Rahul Dravid
2008-2008
14
4
10
0
0
28.57
Kevin Pietersen
2009-2009
6
2
4
0
0
33.33
Kohli had captained the team sporadically between 2011 and 2012 before taking over from Vettori as the full-time skipper in 2013. He has led the team in 40 games, and has won 19 while losing 18, and tying two, with one game not yielding a result.
Kumble was the most successful, with 15 of his 26 games resulting in a victory for RCB. He led them to the final in 2009, where they suffered a loss to Deccan Chargers. Vettori’s record is better than Kohli’s in that his win percentage is higher, but both Dravid and Pietersen had terrible records at the helm of the side.
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