Since its inception, the Indian Premier League has been the league of choice for batsmen. Bowlers’ woes are exacerbated by the flat pitches and small grounds. Royal Challengers Bangalore’s (RCB) bowling department has been their Achilles heel. Many batsmen took advantage of their flaws, resulting in their trophy count being zero.
Royal Challengers Bangalore has fielded some of the best batsmen in the world in the IPL, and their batting lineups have featured some of the best batsmen in the game’s history.
- Virat Kohli – 6624
Virat Kohli, the IPL’s highest run-scorer, leads the charts with 6624 runs for the Bengaluru-based franchise. Kohli, who joined RCB soon after winning the U-19 World Cup, didn’t have a great start, failing to reach 300 runs in his first two seasons. He took over as captain with the bat in 2012 and has been the RCB’s go-to batsman ever since. Kohli took over as full-time captain in 2013 and has only once led the franchise to the IPL final – in 2016. In the T20 league, Kohli has 5 centuries and 46 half-centuries.
- AB de Villiers – 4178
AB de Villiers is second to the former Indian captain. It could have been a different story if ABD hadn’t played for the Delhi Daredevils for a couple of seasons at the start of the IPL, but there’s no denying that he’s been one of the tournament’s standout players since moving to Bangalore. His exploits with the bat are enough to make him a legend among RCB fans, but he adds electrifying performances in the field and mind-blowing catches to further delight the crowds.
- Chris Gayle – 3163
Chris Gayle had a memorable run as a replacement player during his 85-match stint with the franchise. Gayle, who joined RCB in 2011, took the league by storm that season, scoring 608 runs. He smashed at 183.13 and averaged 61.08. In 2011, he had two centuries. Gayle went on to score 733, 708, 196, 491, 227, and 200 in the following six seasons. Due to his poor performance after 2015, the franchise released him. Gayle then joined Punjab Kings in 2018.
- Jacques Kallis – 1132
Jacques Kallis, another supremely talented cricketer who may have been better suited to the Test arena or the 50-over game, adjusted extremely well to the fast-paced world of T20 cricket and remains one of the IPL’s finest batsmen. He would have ranked higher on this list of the top five highest scorers for RCB in IPL history if he had not moved to Kolkata Knight Riders in 2011. During his time at RCB, he did manage to score 1132 runs at an average of 31.44, frequently opening the batting and contributing with the ball.
- Rahul Dravid – 898
Rahul Dravid, the Royal Challengers Bangalore’s inaugural captain, scored 898 runs in 43 matches. During his playing career, Dravid was not considered a T20 player, but he averaged 26.41 and batted at a strike rate of 122.84. Dravid later represented Rajasthan Royals after leaving RCB. He also led and coached RR.
