India’s carrom-baller, spin wizard Ashwin bids adieu to international cricket
India's decorated off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin announced his decision to retire from international cricket moments after the Brisbane Test ended in a draw.
Has RCB been one of the biggest disappointments of the Indian Premier League till date?
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) has arguably been one of the biggest disappointments of the Indian Premier League in the 12 seasons till now. In 2009, Anil Kumble led them to their first final where they had to face a defeat.
In 2011 and 2016, RCB reached finals again under the leadership of Daniel Vettori and Virat Kohli but both of them failed to take their team over the line in respective years.
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Over the years, many superstar players have given their services to the Indian Premier League and helped them win crucial matches. However, there have been many star players who have failed with the RCB team but have turned out to be match-winners when they changed bases.
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Quinton de Kock
South African wicketkeeper-batsman Quinton de Kock is one of the few players who have not been able to perform to their potential while with RCB but have done really well for the other franchise.
De Kock was bought for INR 2.8 Crore in 2018. In that season, he struggled to find his form and scored only 201 runs at an average of 25.12 in 8 matches.
Ahead of the 2019 season, he was traded to Mumbai Indians and there was no looking back from thereon. In the 16 matches for Mumbai Indians, De Kock smashed 529 runs at an average of 32.26 and a strike rate of 132.91. He also had as many as four half-centuries and played a vital role in helping Mumbai Indians win their fourth title.
Shane Watson
Former Australia all-rounder Shane Watson was included in the Royal Challengers Bangalore squad in 2016. He had an average season in 2016 as he scored only 179 runs in 16 matches. His highest score was just 36 runs. However, Bangalore continued to show their faith in him and was retained for the next season.
He was also made the captain for a few matches in Virat’s absence. However, in 2017, Watson had a disastrous season. He scored just 71 runs in that season in 8 matches averaging 11.83.
Bangalore was thus forced to release him and Chennai Super Kings included him in their squad in the auctions and Watson not only changed jerseys but changed his fate by his performances. Watson scored 555 runs in the season including a brilliant century in the final which helped Chennai win the trophy for the record third time.
CSK stuck with Watson in the 2019 season as he scored 398 runs in the season where they lost to Mumbai Indians in the final.
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