IPL: Number of matches played by Royal Challengers Bangalore players for Team India

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) is the most talked about teams in the Indian Premier League (IPL) ever since its inception. The franchise has the massive fan following given that two of the most loved cricketers in the world, Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers, play for them. Even the likes of Chris Gayle was part of RCB until last year and his connection with the local fans is known to everyone. However, RCB has failed to win the coveted trophy despite promising a lot every year and the last season was forgettable for them.

They would be eyeing to claim the title this time around with a new set of players.  As per the trend that has followed ever since the IPL has begun, more players from RCB have played for Team India since Kohli took over reins of the national side. Similarly, the involvement of CSK players has decreased significantly with the likes of R Ashwin and Suresh Raina being dropped from the limited overs side in 2017. Even Ravindra Jadeja couldn’t hold on to his place though himself and Ashwin remain the vital cog of the Test side.

Here we look at the number of matches played by the Royal Challengers Bangalore players for Team India since 2013 of the cash-rich T20 league:

Much like it was in the MS Dhoni era, more players from Kohli’s team in the IPL began featuring in the Indian side in the last couple of years. Not that these players were not good enough, but this fact points out that the captains of the national side prefer playing with the cricketers whom they know in and out and have led them before. The likes of Mandeep Singh, Kedar Jadhav, Yuzvendra Chahal and KL Rahul featured regularly for Team India.

As per the analysis from Business Standard, in 2016 and 2017, RCB players played as many as 19 and 26 matches respectively. While Jadhav and Chahal have sealed their position in the side, Mandeep Singh couldn’t impress much despite playing 3 series in 2016. The young leg-spinner has become the go-to bowler for Kohli and rocked the recently concluded ODI series against South Africa. Even KL Rahul featured in 9 series for India while playing in 2016 and 2017.

RCB players who made most of the opportunity

One player who has emerged the most under the leadership of Virat Kohli is none other than Chahal. The youngster has been the brilliant bowler for the Men in Blue in the limited overs format. He owned the home season last year for the team bamboozling the players from Australia, New Zealand and England, also featuring the best figures in T20Is in January in 2017. His recent success in South Africa is absolutely unmatched, the series which was tagged as the stern test for him.

Even KL Rahul is another player who has the faith of the Indian captain and will be in the plans of the team for the upcoming World Cup. Currently, he is being looked at as the backup opener in the ODIs and Tests for India. He was also unfortunate not to play in the T20I series in South Africa. But surely he is not going to be axed from the national side anytime soon.

RCB player to watch out for this season

Navdeep Saini impressed everyone during Ranji Trophy this year while playing for Delhi. He was among the highest wicket-takers in the season and single-handedly helped his team qualify for the final. He has the pace and swing in his armoury which the Indian skipper loves the most. Kohli backs the youngsters always and it would be interesting to see if he features in most of the matches for RCB. However, it is up to Saini to make the most of this chance as he has a great opportunity to get into the national side by impressing the captain.

Table: Matches played by RCB players for the Indian team (year-wise)

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