RCB’s first-ever playing XI in IPL: Where are they now?

The first-ever match in the history of IPL was played between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders in which KKR thrashed RCB pretty dominantly. Brendon McCullum scored more runs than the whole of RCB in that game. His 158 in that game is still the second-highest individual score in the history of IPL.

KKR won the game with a margin of 140 runs bowling out RCB for 82 runs who were chasing 222. Since then KKR and RCB have taken part in every season of the IPL. KKR has managed to win two IPL titles while RCB’s trophy cabinet is still vacant. RCB have not been successful in being the champions but they have won many hearts and made many memories to cherish for the cricket fans.

The fanbase of RCB is very loyal. The franchise calls their fans the 12th man as they create an amazing atmosphere whenever RCB plays at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru. Virat Kohli has been associated with the franchise from the first season to date. Many cricketing legends wore the RCB’s colors.

In the article, let’s talk about the first-ever playing 11 which took the field for RCB in the inaugural IPL match

1. Rahul Dravid (C)

The Indian legend opened the batting for RCB. His contribution has just been brilliant for Indian cricket over the years. He was the icon player of RCB in the first season. He even led the team and was the first-ever captain of RCB and was dismissed by Ishant Sharma for just two runs in the first game.

He is now the head coach of the Indian senior men’s cricket team. He took over the charge from Ravi Shastri after the conclusion of ICC T20 World Cup 2021. He even coached the Under-19 Indian cricket team and the India A side. He gave India many talents like Rishabh Pant, Ishan Kishan, Shubman Gill, and Prithvi Shaw.

2. Wasim Jaffer

Wasim Jaffer was the opening partner of Rahul Dravid in the first-ever game that RCB played. He scored six runs off 16 balls for his side. Jaffer is an Indian domestic cricket legend. He has scored so many runs in the domestic circuit and is highly respected by the other cricketers. He is often considered the most underrated Indian international cricketer ever.

After his retirement, he remains very active on social media and he doesn’t hesitate to share his opinion about the game and support the Indian side. In IPL 2021, he was the batting coach of Punjab Kings and he shared his experience with the young lads. He is often seen on various media portals as a cricket expert.

3. Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli batted at number three for the side in that game. He was able to score just a run in the match. Since the first season, he is with RCB and he is still serving for the same franchise. He captained RCB for eight years from 2013 to 2021 before quitting captaincy after IPL 2021. He was drafted in the side right after the 2008 Under-19 World Cup which India won under his captaincy.

Years after that game, Virat Kohli is among the best or simply the best cricketer in the world. He is already a legend with so much of cricket left in him. He is currently the skipper of the Indian cricket team in Tests. He captained the Indian team in white-ball cricket from 2017 to 2021. He was retained by RCB ahead of the mega IPL auction 2022.

4. Jacques Kallis

Probably the best all-rounder cricket had in the past 25 years. Jacques Kallis could win matches with both bat and ball in every format of the game. Kallis started his IPL career with Royal Challengers Bangalore. He batted at number four in the first playing 11 of RCB in 2008. He scored eight runs off seven balls and was the first batter to hit a six for RCB.

He also picked the wicket of Ricky Ponting in that game. He was associated with Kolkata Knight Riders in the 2014 and 2015 seasons. He also served as the head coach of KKR from 2016 to 2019. Kallis is now enjoying his retirement life and he is seen sharing his experience with the youngsters sometimes.

5. Cameron White

Cameron White was one out of the four overseas players who took the field for RCB in the inaugural IPL game. The Australian scored six runs in the game off the 10 balls that he faced. He later represented Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL. He was an international player at that time but was in and out of the Australian team.

He batted at number five for RCB in that game. He made his international debut in Australia in 2005 but he was never a regular feature in the Australian cricket team. He played domestic and franchise cricket regularly. He announced his retirement from all forms of the game in 2020. White played his last IPL game in the 2013 season. He is currently looking for coaching opportunities.

6. Mark Boucher (WK)

Mark Boucher was the wicket-keeper of RCB in the inaugural IPL game. He was one of the four overseas players who played that game. He was considered as one of the greatest wicket-keepers who played the game but unfortunately, he faced an accident that damaged his eyes. He scored seven runs for RCB in that game.

Boucher batted at number six for RCB in their first-ever game. He played 147 Tests, 295 ODIs, and 25 T20Is for South Africa from 1997 to 2012. He is currently the head coach of the South Africa senior men’s cricket team. He is serving as a coach since 2017 for the Proteas. He also played for Kolkata Knight Riders.

7. Balachandra Akhil

Balachandra Akhil is a retired cricketer who used to play for Karnataka in the domestic circuit and has played a few IPL games. His role was of an all-rounder in the team. He batted at number seven for RCB in the first game, but never got a chance to play international cricket. He got out for a duck in that game.

He was a part of RCB in the first three seasons of IPL and he also represented Kochi Tuskers Kerala in the fifth edition of the tournament. Akhil captained the Provident Bangalore team in the 2010 Karnataka Premier League. He is 44 years old now and he works as a Kannada language commentator for various sports channels.

8. Ashley Noffke

The Aussie cricketer played just one game in IPL which was the inaugural IPL game in 2008. He was the fourth overseas cricketer who played for RCB in that game. He was very expensive with the ball giving 40 runs from his four overs and picking one wicket. He scored just nine runs with the bat. Noffke just played one ODI and two T20Is for Australia.

He announced retirement from all forms of the game in 2010. He was the bowling coach of Queensland and Brisbane Heat in the 2011-12 season. He was a right-handed batter and used to bowl medium pace. Noffke played first-class cricket for a long time.  Currently, he is the assistant coach of Queensland Bulls in the Australian domestic circuit.

9. Praveen Kumar

The swing-king Praveen Kumar had played for RCB from 2008 to 2010. He made his international debut for India in 2007 and was a regular member of the Indian cricket team until 2012. He has also represented the other IPL teams like Punjab Kings, Mumbai Indians, Sunrisers Hyderabad, and Gujarat Lions. He was the top scorer for RCB in their first-ever game scoring 18 runs off 15 balls.

Praveen Kumar retired from all forms of the game in 2018 after playing at the highest level for several years. He could swing the ball both ways. He played for Uttar Pradesh in domestic cricket from 2005 to 2018 and played his last IPL game in the 2017 season for Gujarat Lions. He had some personal issues in 2020 and now he is away from the limelight.

10. Zaheer Khan

Zaheer Khan is considered one of the finest pacers to bowl for the Indian cricket team. He had a glorious career for the national team. He played 92 Tests, 200 ODIs, and 17 T20Is for India. He was the part of World Cup-winning team in 2011. He played for RCB in the first season and again came back to play for them from 2011 to 2013. He picked the wicket of Sourav Ganguly in the first game for RCB.

He was appointed as bowling consultant for the India national cricket team in 2017 and he founded a fitness company in 2014. He announced his retirement from all forms of the game in 2015. He also worked as a commentator and a cricket expert for various sports channels. Khan is currently the Director of Cricket Operations of Mumbai Indians.

11. Sunil Joshi

Sunil Joshi was a slow left-arm bowler who played the first-ever game for RCB in the 2008 season. He played 4 games in that season and got only one wicket in those games. That season was his last season in the IPL. He has played 15 Tests and 69 ODIs for India from 1996 to 2001. He has represented Karnataka in 160 FC games and is a respected name in the Karnataka cricket circuit.

He announced his retirement from all forms of the game in 2012. He has coached the Hyderabad cricket team, Assam cricket team, and the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Team. In 2015 he was named as the spin-bowling coach of the Oman national cricket team. He has also worked with Bangladesh cricket and United States cricket and the Punjab Kings.