The first-ever XI of Royal Challengers Bangalore: Where are they now?
Royal Challengers Bangalore 2012 team (Source: iplt20.com)
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) have been a force to be reckoned with in the cricketing world, but the coveted IPL trophy has always been like a carrot on a stick for them. From the very first season of the Indian Premier League, the RCB have been in the thick of things, but have yet to get their hands on the elusive prize.
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When the RCB made their IPL debut against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), the excitement was at fever pitch. Fans were chomping at the bit to see what the new franchise could do, and the players were eager to prove themselves on the biggest stage of Indian cricket. Leading the charge was the legendary Rahul Dravid, one of the greatest batsmen in Indian cricket history.
However, the RCB didn't get off to the desired start and were caught napping, resulting in a heavy defeat against KKR who posted a mammoth 222 runs courtesy of Brendon McCullum's unbeaten 158. The KKR bowlers then put in a stellar performance to send Bangalore packing for a paltry 82, thus winning the game by a massive 140-run margin, making IPL a spectacle.
Let's take a look at the first-ever playing XI of the franchise and where they are now?
1. Rahul Dravid
Rahul Dravid led RCB in their first-ever match in the IPL (RCB)
Dravid opened the batting for RCB as their icon player and first-ever captain in the IPL's inaugural season. He was dismissed for just two runs by Ishant Sharma. The former cricketer is now the head coach of the Indian senior men’s cricket team, taking over from Ravi Shastri after the ICC T20 World Cup 2021. Dravid will look to lead India to victory in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 which is going to take place later this year.
2. Wasim Jaffer
Wasim Jaffer opened the innings alongside Dravid (Twitter)
The legendary domestic batsman opened the batting with Dravid in RCB's first match and scored 6 runs off 16 balls. Despite being considered one of the most underrated Indian international cricketers, Jaffer remains active on social media and regularly shares his views and supports the Indian team. In IPL 2021, he was the batting coach of Punjab Kings and is set to reprise his position for the upcoming IPL 2023.
3. Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli is the only player to play for a single franchise since IPL's inception in 2008 (IPLT20.com)
Kohli, who batted at number three for RCB in their debut match, only managed to score one run. The right-hander has stayed with RCB since the first season and even captained the team for eight years from 2013 to 2021, before stepping down from captaincy after IPL 2021.
The elegant batter joined the team after leading India to victory in the 2008 Under-19 World Cup. Today, Kohli is regarded as one of the best cricketers in the world and a legend in his own right. After leading India for several years in all three games, he relinquished the captaincy. The Delhi-born cricketer is currently India’s batting mainstay across formats. He was also retained by RCB for IPL 2022 after the mega auction.
4. Jacques Kallis
Jacques Kallis was a part of RCB's playing XI in their debut in the IPL (Source: Twitter)
One of the best all-rounders the game has ever seen, Kallis, began his IPL journey with RCB, batting at number four in their first match in 2008, where he scored eight runs off seven balls and hit the first six for RCB.
He also claimed the wicket of Ricky Ponting in the same game. The South African veteran represented KKR in the 2014 and 2015 seasons and later became their head coach from 2016 to 2019. He has also worked as a batting consultant for South Africa and England. Kallis is currently living a retired life and sharing his valuable experience with the younger generation.
5. Cameron White
Cameron White was among RCB's four overseas picks for the first IPL game vs KKR (RCB)
White scored six runs off ten balls in the opening game of the IPL. The Australian cricketer played for Sunrisers Hyderabad in later IPL seasons. Though he was an international player, he was never a regular in the Australian team.
White announced his retirement from all formats of cricket in 2020, and played his last IPL game in 2013. Currently, he is seeking coaching opportunities after being part of the Australia Legends squad in the Road Safety World Series last year.
6. Mark Boucher
Mark Boucher was RCB's wicket-keeper in their first ever game (RCB)
Boucher was the wicketkeeper-batsman for RCB in their debut IPL match where he scored seven runs batting at number six. The stumper also played for Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL. Boucher recently served as the head coach of the South African cricket team from 2017 till T20 World Cup 2022. He recently joined Mumbai Indians as their head coach for IPL 2023.
7. Balachandra Akhil
Balachandra Akhil was a part of the RCB till 2010 (Twitter)
Akhil played as an all-rounder for the Karnataka team in the domestic circuit and he also featured in a few IPL games. He batted at number seven in RCB's first match and was dismissed for a duck. The all-rounder was a part of RCB in the first three seasons and also represented Kochi Tuskers Kerala in IPL 2012. After retiring from cricket, he took up commentary and currently works as a Kannada language commentator for several sports channels.
8. Ashley Noffke
Ashely Noffke's only appearance in the IPL came in the inaugural game (Twitter)
Ashley Noffke only featured in the inaugural match of IPL 2008 which was his first and last appearance in the tournament. He was expensive with the ball, conceding 40 runs in his four overs while picking up one wicket. With the bat, he scored only nine runs.
The right-hander had played only one ODI and two T20Is for Australia. The 45-year-old currently works as the Head of Female Performance at Queensland Cricket. He is also the head coach of Brisbane Heat WBBL and Qld Fire WNCL teams, as well as the London Spirit Women's team in The Hundred.
9. Praveen Kumar
Praveen Kumar was RCB's top-scorer in their first IPL game (Source: Twitter)
Kumar represented RCB from 2008 to 2010 and interestingly, he emerged as the highest run-scorer for the team in their debut IPL match, scoring 18 runs off 15 deliveries. He went on to play for various other IPL franchises such as Punjab Kings, Mumbai Indians, Sunrisers Hyderabad, and Gujarat Lions.
Kumar played domestic cricket for Uttar Pradesh between 2005 and 2018, and his last IPL appearance was for Gujarat Lions in the 2017 season. He was also seen playing in the Legends League tournament recently.
10. Zaheer Khan
Zaheer Khan was RCB's bowling's spearhead in 2008 (Twitter)
The legendary pacer played for RCB in the first season and again came back to play for them from 2011 to 2013. He picked the solitary wicket of Sourav Ganguly in the first game for RCB and gave away 38 runs in his four overs. The southpaw also worked as Indian team’s bowling consultant in 2017. Currently, he is Global Head of Cricket Development at Mumbai Indians.
11. Sunil Joshi
Sunil Joshi was a part of the first ever IPL XI of RCB (Source: Twitter)
Joshi's IPL debut was far from perfect as he conceded 26 runs in his three overs without taking any wicket. Despite playing four games in that season, he could only manage to take one wicket throughout the tournament. Unfortunately, that season also turned out to be his last in the IPL.
In the later years, the southpaw ventured into coaching and has trained teams like Hyderabad, Assam, and Jammu and Kashmir. He was appointed as the spin-bowling coach for the Oman national cricket team in 2015. Currently, Joshi is serving as the bowling coach for Punjab Kings in the upcoming IPL 2023 season.
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