Former India wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel exposed the poor culture inside the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) from his playing days. Parthiv Patel said that the team was all about Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, and Chris Gayle, and the rest of the players were not given preference.
Former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel slammed the culture within the team, with the legendary trio of Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, and Chris Gayle getting preferential treatment, during his stint there.
Parthiv Patel stint with Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Parthiv Patel was an integral part of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Indian Premier League. The keeper-batter had two separate stints at RCB in 2014 and from 2018 to 2020. He played a vital role for the team while batting at the top and played some crucial knocks for his team during his time there.
During his time with the team, Royal Challengers Bengaluru had a power-packed lineup. The likes of Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, and Chris Gayle were there and during Parthiv’s first stint, all three were at their peak and were scoring truckloads of runs for the team.
It’s fair to say that the presence of the three big guns didn’t allow any other players to get the limelight. Because they were doing bulk scoring and were rated as the heart and soul of the team. Parthiv Patel, who was the Indian international, also didn’t get the attention he would’ve wanted.
Notably, the trio of Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, and Chris Gayle are the leading run-getters for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Indian Premier League. While Kohli has 8.428 runs at an average of 38.66 and a strike rate of 132.78 in 267 games, the former South African has amassed 4,500 runs at an average of 41.10 and a strike rate of 158.33. Gayle is the third leading run-getter with 3,420 runs at an average-to-strike rate combination of 43.29 and 154.40.
Parthiv Patel clearly spoke about the influence of trio in RCB’s internal team settings and many others.
Parthiv Patel slams RCB’s culture during his stint post IPL 2024 failure
Former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel slammed the culture within the team, with the legendary trio of Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, and Chris Gayle getting preferential treatment, during his stint there. The 39-year-old had two separate stints at RCB in 2014 and from 2018 to 2020. While all three were at the peak of their powers in 2014, Gayle was not present during Parthiv’s second stopping in 2018, 2019, and 2020.
Speaking on the Cyrus Says Podcast, Parthiv weighed in on his stints with RCB:
“I played for RCB, I’ve have been there for four years. The team is always about individuals it’s not about the team. And then everyone will come out of that team will say that. Because it’s all about Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, and Chris Gayle when I was in the team. “
While Parthiv Patel played 12 matches in the 2014 season, he played a combined 20 games in 2018 and 2019 for RCB. The franchise missed the playoffs in all three seasons he played games in ( 2014, 2018, and 2019) and qualified for the final four in 2020.
The trio of Kohli, De Villiers and Gayle are RCB’s all-time leading run-scorers
Parthiv Patel further revealed that Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, and Chris Gayle were given a special kind of preference and there was no team culture. He mentioned that this is one of the main reasons why the Royal Challengers Bengaluru haven’t won the trophy. He added:
“So they were given the kind of special preference always so the team culture was not there you can see clearly when they are playing, and that is the reason why they haven’t won the trophies. That’s the fact.”
Despite RCB’s empty IPL trophy cabinet, the trio of Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, and Chris Gayle remain the franchise’s top three leading run scorers.
Kohli tops the list with an incredible 8.428 runs at an average of 38.66 and a strike rate of 132.78 in 267 games. De Villiers is second with over 4,500 runs at an average of 41.10 and a strike rate of 158.33, while Gayle follows with 3,420 runs at an average-to-strike rate combination of 43.29 and 154.40.
Despite the individual dominance, RCB’s best result with all three in the side remains two finals appearances in 2011 and 2016. The franchise also played the summit clash in 2009 when only Kohli was present from the trio. In the most recent IPL 2024 season, the former Indian and RCB skipper finished as the tournament’s leading run-scorer with 741 runs. However, the side were knocked out of the playoffs in the Eliminator by the Rajasthan Royals (RR).