They have featured in all the seasons of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and finished second best three times, but may well go down as the tournament's eternal bridesmaids. That will be some heartbreaking story for them, considering their flamboyance and star power.
But this time, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), who have a very strong side at least on paper, will be aiming for a better outing in the 12th edition of the cash-rich league.
Despite having some big names in the side, RCB finished eighth in the 2017 edition and then finished sixth in the last edition.
For the 12th edition, the Virat Kohli-led side has retained several players like AB de Villiers, Parthiv Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, Washington Sundar, Pawan Negi, Nathan Coulter-Nile.
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The side also retained Moeen Ali, Mohammed Siraj, Colin de Grandhomme, Tim Southee, Umesh Yadav, Navdeep Saini, Kulwant Khejroliya, Marcus Stoinis.
Bangalore also snapped up nine players from this edition's auction. Shivam Dube , Shimron Hetmyer , Akshdeep Nath , Prayas Barman , Himmat Singh, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Heinrich Klaasen , Devdutt Padikkal , Milind Kumar were the players who were traded.
In the recent auctions, RCB invested in many lesser-known young faces like the uncapped Shivam, West Indian Hetmyer (Rs 4.2 crore), Akshdeep (Rs 3.6 crore) and Prayas Raj Barman (Rs 1.5 crore).
In the opening match, Bangalore will be facing last year's winners Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in Bengaluru that will begin on March 23.
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On an interesting note, Bangalore is the team which holds the records of both the highest and the lowest totals in the IPL (263/5 and 49).
Team Facts:
Best Finishes: 2nd in 2009, 2011 and 2016.
Captain: Virat Kohli (IND)
Head Coach: Gary Kirsten (SA)
Batting Coach:
Bowling Coach: Ashish Nehra (IND)
Venue: M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
Squad:
Batsmen - AB de Villiers (Overseas/South Africa), Virat Kohli (Captain), Shimron Hetmyer
(Overseas/West Indies), Himmat Singh, Akshdeep Nath, Milind Kumar, Gurkeerat Singh, Devdutt Padikkal;
All-Rounder - Pawan Negi, Moeen Ali (Overseas/England), Colin de Grandhomme (Overseas/New Zealand), Washington Sundar, Marcus Stoinis (Overseas/Australia), Shivam Dube, Prayas Ray Barman;
Bowlers - Yuzvendra Chahal, Kulwant Khejroliya, Umesh Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Tim Southee (Overseas/New Zealand), Nathan Coulter-Nile (Overseas/Australia), Navdeep Saini;
Wicket-keeper - Parthiv Patel, Heinrich Klaasen (Overseas/South Africa)
Fixtures:
March 23 (A) - vs Chennai Super Kings at M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
March 28 (H) - vs Mumbai Indians
March 31 (A) - vs Sunrisers Hyderabad at Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium, Hyderabad
April 2 (A) - vs Rajasthan Royals at Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur
April 5 (H) - vs Kolkata Knight Riders
Team Records:
Matches Played - 166
Matches Won - 76
Highest Total - 263/5 against Pune Warriors in 2013
Lowest Total - 49 all out against Kolkata Knight
Riders in 2017
Individual Records:
Most Runs - Virat Kohli (4948 runs in 163 matchs from 2008 to 2018)
Highest Score - Chris Gayle (175 not out against Pune Warriors in 2013)
Most Wickets - Umesh Yadav (111 wickets)
Best Bowling Figures - Anil Kumble (5/5in 3.1 overs against Rajasthan Royals in 2009)
