RCB’s 13 year wait for IPL title continues : A star-studded squad, world-class batsmen, a prolific & flamboyant leader and massive fan following– Royal Challengers Bangalore has it all to steamroll any opposition on their day. Despite their robust artillery, the Bangalore franchise has not lifted the IPL trophy even once in the 13 years of the tournament’s history and 8 years of Virat Kohli as captain. That is the reason former India opener and two-time IPL winning captain Gautam Gambhir believes it is time for RCB to look beyond Virat Kohli as captain.
Why Gambhir is saying ‘RCB needs to look beyond Virat Kohli as captain’
- Under Kohli’s captaincy since 2013, the Royal Challengers have made the playoffs only three times in eight seasons.
- But never ever it has translated into IPL title for RCB.
- Virat has even failed to deliver as pure batsman for most of the times & on important ocassions. Case in point is his scores in the last 14, 1 and 3 against Sunrisers Hyderabad, Kings XI Punjab and Mumbai Indians respectively, taking his tally to 18 runs in three games and failed to score a single boundary.
- RCB has always been team of big named batsman – but never ever they have gelled as a unit.
- The presence of explosive batsmen like Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Yuvraj Singh and Kevin Pietersen hasn’t resulted in RCB clinching the coveted trophy.
Gautam Gambhir says – Change the captain of RCB
In an interview to ESPNCricinfo, Gambhir was blunt in declaring that RCB managment needs to look beyon Virat Kohli as captain. Gambhir said: “Eight years into the tournament [without a trophy], eight years is a long time. Tell me any other captain…forget about captain, tell me any other player who would have got eight years and wouldn’t have won the title and would have still continued with it. So it has to be accountability. A captain needs to take accountability.
“It’s not only about one year, it’s not only about this. I have nothing against Virat Kohli but somewhere down the line, he needs to put his hand up and say, ‘yes, I am responsible. I am accountable’.
RCB season by season performance
- 2008: Failed to reach knockouts (Won 4, Lost 10; Finished seventh in league stage)
- 2009: Runners-up (Won 9, Lost 7; Finished third in league stage)
- 2010: Semi-finalists (Won 7, Lost 8; Finished fourth in league stage)
- 2011: Runners-up (Won 10, Lost 6; Finished first in league stage)
- 2012: Failed to reach play-offs (Won 8, Lost 7; Finished fifth in league stage)
- 2013: Failed to reach play-offs (Won 9, Lost 7; Finished fifth in league stage)
- 2014: Failed to reach play-offs (Won 5, Lost 9; Finished seventh in league stage)
- 2015: Third (Won 8, Lost 6; Finished third in league stage)
- 2016: Runners-up (Won 9, Lost 7; Finished second in league stage)
- 2017: Failed to reach play-offs (Won 3, Lost 10; Finished eighth in league stage)
- 2018: Failed to reach play-offs (Won 6, Lost 8; Finished sixth in league stage)
- 2019: Failed to reach play-offs (Won 5, Lost 8; Finished eight in league stage)
Editors pick
