One of the most popular franchises in the Indian Premier League, RCB are yet to win an IPL title but finished as runners-up on three occasions between 2009 and 2016.
One of the inaugural IPL members, RCB has fielded some of the best players in the world from Virat Kohli to AB de Villiers, but there are always some a problem with the team that kept them from winning a championship.
Ahead of the upcoming IPL 2023 season, RCB legend Chris Gayle revealed the reason behind the franchise’s failure to better their runners-up finish. Speaking on JioCinema, Gayle explained that apart from three senior players, the rest of the cricketers were never in the limelight, which led to a feeling of being left out.
“You know sometimes being one of the main players, the main man. I am always in my own zone. What I understand when it comes from an RCB point of view, a lot of players felt left out. A lot of players didn’t feel like they are part of the franchise.”
“It was only three players getting all the attention, myself, Virat and AB. So a lot of players pretty much mentally are nowhere within the team. So that’s always going to be a challenge to win a title.”
The West Indies star represented RCB from 2011-17. Last season, RCB finished fourth in the league stage with eight wins and six losses. Beating Lucknow Supergiants in their first play-off match, they lost to Rajasthan Royals in the final, failing to book a place in the finals.
The IPL 2023 is scheduled to start from March 31, and will see defending champions Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings face off in the season opener. Meanwhile, RCB will begin their campaign on April 2, against Mumbai Indians at M. Bengaluru. Chinnaswamy will start at the stadium.
Gayle played seven years of IPL cricket for RCB, spanning from 2011 to 2017.
Chris Gayle, on the other hand, has played 140 matches in the IPL, scoring 4,965 runs at an average of 39.72 and an astonishing strike rate of 148.96.
Gayle has also scored six hundreds in the league with the highest being 175 not out – a T20 record still – while playing for RCB against now-defunct franchise Pune Warriors India.
The player will be honoured with induction into the ‘RCB Hall of Fame’ at an upcoming event prior to the IPL 2023, starting March 31.