Royal Challengers Bangalore has been home to several stars of world cricket ever since IPL began in 2008. The franchise has not won any silverware but it retains its popularity because of the glittering individual talent such as Kohli and ABD. In recent years, RCB has been trolled by many as the franchise which ends the career of famous people and these comments have been justified as many legends have found the going to be tough in Bangalore.
Here we look at five famous names whose careers ended at RCB,
5. Tymal Mills
Tymal Mills belongs to a rare breed of T-20 specialist fast bowlers and has carved a niche in England’s domestic circuit as a reliable pace machine. In the auction before the 2016 IPL, RCB broke the bank to purchase Mills for 14 crores. By that time he had already endured a career-threatening physical condition which forced him to bid goodbye to Test cricket.
RCB bought him hoping that he could be the solution for their long-standing death bowling issues. But he only played five games and had little impact on the proceedings even though 2016 was RCB’s best ever IPL campaign.
4. Abhimanyu Mithun
Mithun has been Karnataka’s premium fast bowler for over a decade now after making his mark in the 2009-10 season by picking up 47 wickets. He was subsequently selected for India when South Africa visited India in 2010 and totally played five ODI’s and four Tests for India. He played 16 matches for Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL and picked up seven wickets.
Mithun’s IPL numbers are not promising but for a brief period of time, many believed that he could have a long career for India. Unfortunately, those predictions never came true, but he can be extremely proud of his record in Ranji Trophy.
3. Sreenath Aravind
A wily left-arm pacer who had several variations to his name, Aravind played a crucial part in RCB’s run to the final of the 2011 IPL. He picked up 21 wickets in 2011 at an economy rate of 8 but he could not build a reputation as one of the best bowlers in IPL due to injuries.
He only represented the Bangalore outfit in IPL and picked up 45 wickets in his career at an acceptable economy rate of 8.20.
2. Stuart Binny
Binny’s career is a great example of how tough it can be for a professional cricketer’s son to survive in an environment which often pits his performances against the achievements of his father. Binny was often criticized as a bits and pieces cricketer but he had the ability to turn up with a match-winning performance when his team is in trouble.
He has played many cameos for Rajasthan Royals but his RCB career did not have any game-changing performances. He has not played a game since 2017 IPL and represented Nagaland domestically in 2019/20 after being dropped from the Karnataka squad.
1. Anil Kumble
“Jumbo” was Bangalore’s X-factor during the first three seasons of the IPL and he captained RCB to the finals of the 2009 IPL in South Africa. His career economy rate of 6.58 is among the best in the IPL while he also picked up 45 wickets.
In the 2009 edition, he picked up 21 wickets at an economy of 5.86 which included a brilliant spell of 5/5 against Rajasthan Royals in their opening fixture. He also put up a memorable performance of 4/16 in the final against Deccan Chargers and retired in 2010 albeit without a winners’ cup.
