5 Players you didn't know once played for RCB

Despite having a huge and loyal fan base, Royal Challengers Bengaluru have never won the Indian Premier League. In the earlier years, they used to be known for flamboyance, courtesy of then-owner Vijay Mallya as former cricketer Chris Gayle once revealed what it felt like to party in one of his villas in Goa. In recent years, that image of the franchise has changed but it’s the trophy cabinet that's still empty. Every year RCB starts with immense expectations but fails to capitalize when it matters the most. Their women’s team won the championship in 2024, which put further pressure on the men’s team, which qualified for the final thrice in 17 years but failed to cross the line each time. Meanwhile, during their flamboyance era, RCB was known for signing multiple star cricketers. They tend to back their Indian cricketers but when it comes to foreign players, they have struck gold with AB de Villiers, Gayle and Dale Steyn previously but there are multiple big-name players that they bought but haven’t used them much. The fans might have even forgotten about them. Also Check: 5 Players you didn't know once played for RR Here’s a list of five players you didn’t know played for RCB: 5. Marcus Stoinis Marcus Stoinis. (Source - Twitter/X) Australia all-rounder Marcus Stoinis was part of the RCB squad in 2019. The franchise signed him for INR 6.20 crore but decided not to retain him ahead of the 2020 season. Notably, Stoinis started his IPL career in Punjab Kings, where he spent three seasons before switching sides to Royal Challengers Bangalore (now Bengaluru). He played 10 matches in that season, scoring 211 runs at a strike rate of 135.25. He also picked up two wickets at an economy of 8.70. Bangalore was expected to retain him to solve their middle-order worries but the franchise instead decided to release him after just one year to release some funds ahead of the next edition. Stoinis went on to join Delhi Capitals, where he played in 2020 and 2021 before the franchise released him ahead of the 2022 mega auction. Lucknow Super Giants spent INR 10 crore to sign him in the auction, and it is where he spent his last three seasons. Overall, Stoinis has played 96 games in the cash-rich league, scoring 1866 runs at a strike rate of 142. He also has 43 wickets to his name in the competition. 4. Shivnarine Chanderpaul Shivnarine Chanderpaul. (Source - Twitter/X) Shivnarine Chaderpaul was highly regarded as a Test specialist when RCB bought him in the 2008 mega-auction. He featured in T20I cricket for West Indies but could never leave a mark. Even in the T20 World Cup 2007 in South Africa, Chanderpaul was not a first-choice player for West Indies, having played only two matches, scoring 48 runs. It was thus strange for RCB to invest US$200 million for Chanderpaul in the auction. The West Indies international was handed three games in that season, in which, he scored 25 runs at a strike rate of 80.64. He was eventually released from the squad after a season and RCB wanted to focus more on next-gen Indian cricketers. Chanderpaul meanwhile was not picked by any other IPL franchises. Later, he went on to play in the Caribbean Premier League and featured in the Bangladesh Premier League in 2015 as well. 3. Jesse Ryder Jesse Ryder. (Source - Getty Images) Former New Zealand international Jesse Ryder was part of the Royal Challengers Bangalore squad in 2009. He joined the franchise for US$160 million and played just five matches for them before being released ahead of the 2010 edition. Ryder made only 56 runs in that season at a strike rate of 114.28, which was not impressive at all and that led to him being released. He went unsold in the 2010 auction but in 2011, Pune Warriors India (now defunct) bought him for US$ 150 million. He was expected to make an impact at the top of the order but it turned out to be another average season for Ryder, in which, he scored 292 runs in 13 games at a strike rate of 148.22. Nevertheless, PWI decided to retain him for the next season but Ryder once again looked average and since then, the cricketer never featured in the IPL. He went through plenty of things, including being banned for six months for consuming a banned substance in 2013 and after that, he made his return to international cricket but he was never the same player. Also Check: 5 Players you didn't know once played for KKR 2. Nathan Bracken Nathan Bracken. (Source - Getty Images) Nathan Bracken was one of the best in the business when Royal Challengers Bangalore signed him in IPL 2008. Unfortunately, due to a knee injury, the ace pacer could not make his debut that season. However, he went on to play for Australia and did well in the Commonwealth Bank series, which helped him become the number-one ranked bowler and for the same, RCB retained him for the 2009 season. Interestingly, Bracken was not handed an opportunity to make his debut in the season. The Australia international was sidelined for the entire season, as Dale Steyn was their go-to pacer in the season. They couldn’t afford to play two foreign pacers in the squad, the quota was filled with the likes of Jacques Kallis, Kevin Pietersen, Ross Taylor and Rudolf van der Merwe. Bracken was released ahead of the 2010 season and he wasn’t picked again in the IPL. He remains to be one of the best pacers to never feature in the IPL. The New South Wales-born could have featured in the IPL later but he eventually announced early retirement due to injuries. 1. Steven Smith Steven Smith. (Source - Getty Images) One of the modern-day greats, Steve Smith joined Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2010. The franchise was the first IPL side to scout him, but couldn’t hand him any game time. Smith, playing for New South Wales at that time, looked very impressive as a leg-spinner, which brought him to India for the IPL but RCB was already stacked with foreign stars at that time. He joined Kochi Tuskers Kerala in the 2011 mega-auction but couldn’t find a place for himself in the playing XI once again. After Kochi, he played for Pune Warriors India before playing for Rajasthan and captaining them. Overall, Smith has played 103 matches in the cash-rich league and has scored 2485 runs at a strike rate of 128.09. The Australia international has not played any IPL game since 2021. He skipped the 2022 season and went unsold ever since. He wasn’t picked for Australia’s T20 World Cup 2024 squad as well and may even go unsold in the 2025 mega-auction.

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5 Players you didn't know once played for RCB

RCB qualified for the IPL final thrice but never won the trophy.

4. Shivnarine Chanderpaul

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