Royal Challengers Bengaluru: History, Squads, Staff, Captains

About Royal Challengers Bengaluru

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), a hugely popular Indian Premier League (IPL) team, went nearly 20 years without a title despite their fame. They finished second three times but had no trophies until 2025. Bought for Rs 464 crore (about US$111.6 million) in 2008, RCB was the second-most-expensive team at the time. Ownership shifted from Vijay Mallya of United Breweries Limited to Diageo India in 2015.

In their 2008 debut, RCB, called a “Test XI,” chose experienced players hoping they’d excel in T20, but won only four games. The next three seasons improved, with two runner-up finishes. RCB spent heavily on players like Yuvraj Singh (2014), Dinesh Karthik (2015), and Chris Morris (2020) at auctions, but often dropped them if they didn’t shine in their first year. Despite inconsistent results, RCB stayed loyal to Virat Kohli, their only lifelong player. Under Faf du Plessis’ captaincy in 2023 and 2024, RCB secured fourth place both years.

In 2025, led by Rajat Patidar, RCB reached peak performance and won the IPL 2025 title. They held firm in the final against Punjab Kings, clinching their first championship 18 years after the IPL began, rewarding Kohli’s unwavering faith in the team.

Information
Established	2008
Owner	United Spirits
Home Ground	M. Chinnaswamy Stadium
Nick Name	RCB
Full Name	Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Theme Song	Ee Sala Cup Namde
Official Web	https://www.royalchallengers.com/

RCB Coaching & Support Staff

Position	Name
Chairman	Prathmesh Mishra
Batting Coach & Mentor	Dinesh Karthik
Vice President & Head	Rajesh Menon
Head of Marketing	Nikhil Sosale
Head of Digital & Content	Ajith Ramamurthy
Head Coach	Andy Flower
Assistant Coach	Richard Halsall
Bowling Coach	Omkar Salvi
Head of Team Ops & Manager	Major Shaminder Singh Sidhu
Spin Bowling Coach	Malolan Rangarajan
Director of Cricket Operations	Mo Bobat
Strength & Conditioning Coach	Shanker Basu
Physios	Evan Speechly, James Pipe
Team Analyst	Freddie Wilde
Assistant Manager	Arihant Jain
Team Doctor	Dr Shikha Dhaundiyal

RCB 2025 Squads

Position	Players
Captain	Rajat Patidar
All Rounders	Liam Livingstone, Krunal Pandya, Swapnil Singh, Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Manoj Bhandage, Jacob Bethell
Bowlers	Josh Hazelwood, Rasikh Dar, Suyash Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Nuwan Thushara, Lungi Ngidi, Abhinandan Singh, Mohit Rathee, Yash Dayal
Batters	Rajat Patidar, Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Jitesh Sharma, Devdutt Padikkal, Swastik Chhikara

RCB Home Ground Details

Feature	Details
Official Name	M. Chinnaswamy Stadium
Location	Cubbon Road, in the heart of Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
Home Team	Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Karnataka State Cricket Team, Indian National Cricket Team
Establishment	1969
Seating Capacity	Approximately 40,000
Ends	Pavilion End, BEML End
Pitch Characteristics	Renowned as a “batsman’s paradise.”
Boundary Dimensions	The straight boundaries are around 65-70 meters, while the square boundaries can be as short as 55-60 meters.
IPL Record (Highest)	263/5
Unique Feature 1	Eco-Friendly
Unique Feature 2	Advanced Drainage
Historic Milestone	Hosted its first Test match in 1974, which was the debut match for West Indian legends Sir Vivian Richards and Gordon Greenidge.
Other Significance	Houses India’s prestigious National Cricket Academy (NCA), where the country’s next generation of cricketing talent is trained and rehabilitated.

List of RCB Captains 2008 to 2025

Player	Span	Matches	Won	Lost	Tied	W/L	%W	%L
Rahul Dravid	2008-2008	14	4	10	0	0.40	28.57	71.42
Kevin Pietersen	2009-2009	6	2	4	0	0.50	33.33	66.66
Anil Kumble	2009-2010	35	19	16	0	1.18	54.28	45.71
Daniel Vettori	2011-2012	28	15	13	0	1.15	53.57	46.42
Virat Kohli	2011-2023	143	66	70	3	0.94	46.15	48.95
Shane Watson	2017-2017	3	1	2	0	0.50	33.33	66.66
Faf du Plessis	2022-2024	42	21	21	0	1.00	50.00	50.00
Rajat Patidar	2025-2025	13	10	3	0	3.33	76.92	23.07
Jitesh Sharma	2025-2025	2	1	1	0	1.00	50.00	50.00

RCB Performance over the years

Year	Position	Top Batter	Runs	Top Bowlers	Wickets	Win
2025	2nd	Virat Kohli	657	Josh Hazlewood	22	68.75
2024	4th	Virat Kohli	489	Yash Dayal	18	50.00
2023	3rd	Faf du Plessis	574	Harshal Patel	20	57.14
2022	3rd	Faf du Plessis	468	Wanindu Hasaranga	26	56.25
2021	4th	Glenn Maxwell	513	Harshal Patel	32	60.00
2020	4th	AB de Villiers	454	Y Chahal	21	46.66
2019	8th	Virat Kohli	464	Y Chahal	18	35.7
2018	6th	Virat Kohli	530	Umesh Yadav	20	42.85
2017	8th	Virat Kohli	308	Pawan Negi	16	21.42
2016	2nd	Virat Kohli	973	Y Chahal	21	56.25
2015	3rd	AB de Villiers	513	Mitchell Starc	20	50
2014	7th	AB de Villiers	395	Varun Aaron	16	35.71
2013	5th	Chris Gayle	708	Vinay Kumar	23	56.25
2012	5th	Chris Gayle	733	Vinay Kumar	19	50
2011	2nd	Chris Gayle	608	S Aravind	21	62.5
2010	4th	Jacques Kallis	572	Anil Kumble	17	46.66
2009	2nd	Jacques Kallis	361	Anil Kumble	21	56.25
2008	7th	Rahul Dravid	371	Zaheer Khan	13	28.57

                                               

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