Royal Challengers Bangalore a.k.a RCB is the most popular franchise in the Indian Premier league. The team represents Bengaluru city, Karnataka and its home ground is M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru. The franchise was founded in 2008 since the beginning of IPL and it is owned by United Spirits Limited presently. When the team was announced in 2008, Vijay Mallya held its major share, and the valuation of the franchise become the second highest after Mumbai Indians.
During the initial season, Rahul Deavid was the star player of the team. He becomes the highest-paid RCB player in the auctions. Royal Challengers Bangalore gained popularity when Virat Kohli become its Captain, popularity of Virat Kohli is indeed in the sky in India. However, the team did not mark any victory in his captaincy. Faf du Plessis was announced as the team’s new captain in the IPL last season. According to Wikipedia, the brand value of the Royal Challengers Bangalore franchise was estimated to be 595 crores in 2019.
Past History and Achievements of Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL
The first season of IPL for Royal Challengers Bangalore was not very fluke, they faced backlashes and lost by 140 runs from KKR and finished the series in 7th place. In the following year, they improved their performance under the leadership of Anil Kumble but were eventually defeated by Deccan Charges in the finale.
In 2011, Chris Gayle’s brilliant performance led the team to the finale and eventually, they again lost against CSK. Virat Kohli took the responsibility of leadership in 2013 and fans hoped good luck for RCB again, they failed to make it and finished in the 5th position. That season, Chris was named a star player due to his excellent performance of 175 runs against Pune Warriors which led the team to finish the highest runs 263/5.
The following year again was a big mess for them as they won only 5 matches out of 14 and finish in the second last position. In 2016, Virat gave his 4 centuries, and seemed like they will lift the trophy but did not happen again. They haven’t won any IPL trophies since last year in the new captaincy of Faf du Plessis, the team performed well and lost against RR in a qualifier match. RCB’s continuous bad luck in the league disappointed many fans.
Royal Challengers Bangalore Match Fixtures and Venues
| Date | Venue | Opponent |
| 2 April | M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru | Mumbai Indians |
| 6 April | Eden Gardens, Kolkata | Kolkata Knight Riders |
| 10 April | M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru | Lucknow Super Giants |
| 15 April | M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru | Delhi Capitals |
| 17 April | M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru | Chennai Super Kings |
| 20 April | Punjab Cricket Association Stadium | Punjab Kings |
| 23 April | M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru | Rajasthan Royals |
| 26 April | M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru | Kolkata Knight Riders |
| 1 May | Ekana Stadium, Lucknow | Lucknow Super Giants |
| 6 May | Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi | Delhi Capitals |
| 9 May | Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai | Mumbai Indians |
| 14 May | Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur | Rajasthan Royals |
| 18 May | Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, Hyderabad | Sunrisers Hyderabad |
| 21 May | M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru | Gujarat Titans |
Royal Challengers Bangalore Squad for IPL 2023
Royal Challengers Bangalore announced Faf Du Plessis as the new captain and under the fresh captaincy they improved their performance. In this auction, they acquired Plessis for 7 crores. Other major players like Virat Kohli 16 crores, Maxwell 12 crores, and Mohammed Siraj 6 crores. Here is the retained list of the RCB squad:
- Virat Kohli
- Glenn Maxwell
- Mohammed Siraj
- Faf Du Plessis(C)
- Harshal Patel
- Wanindu Hasaranga
- Dinesh Karthik
- Josh Hazlewood
- Shahbaz Ahmad
- Anuj Rawat
- Akash Deep
- Mahipal Lomror
- Finn Allen
- Sherfane Rutherford
- Jason Behrendorff
- Suyash Prabhudessai
- Aneeshwar Gautam
- Karn Sharma
- David Willey
- Rajat Patidar
- Siddharth Kaul
- Chama Milind
Strengths and Weaknesses of RCB in IPL 2023
Royal Challengers Bangalore has improved their game in the last few seasons, they went the extra mile to retain the core players in the team in this auction. Their core strength is looking strong and having a new captain may lead the team on the positive side. It will be interesting to see the new decision the captain incorporate and what they bring to the team like last season.
Strengths
Having powerful players like Virat Kohli, Maxwell, Faf du Plessis, and Michael Bracewell makes the team stronger in the batting game. Bowlers like Mohammed Siraj, Harshal Patel, Reece Topley, and, Josh Hazlewood are adding bowling strength to the team.
Weaknesses
They are lacking spinner players having only Wanindu Hasaranga as a spinner in the squad may put them in problems. However, Shahbaz Ahmed outperformed last year but it’s still doubtful whether he will do it again or not.
Players to Watch out for RCB in IPL 2023
The performance of Royal Challengers Bangalore has improved steadily in the last few seasons and their decision on player selection this year may bring new changes to the squad. There is always a craze to see Virat Kohli playing this time fans are impatiently waiting to see him again in a Royal Challengers Bangalore jersey. Another player to look forward to is Du Plessis and his fresh captaincy. Players fans will watch Mohammed Siraj, Dinesh Kartik, and, Josh Hazlewood on the field and how will they contribute their skills to win in the IPl 2023.
