The Royal Challengers Bangalore and the Chennai Super Kings are two of the most popular teams in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Although their journeys have been a bit contrasting, the two teams have gained millions of fans with their brand of cricket. The CSK have won three titles in the last 13 years, and they have qualified for the playoffs ten times. Meanwhile, RCB have lost three finals and has even settled at the last position twice in the last 12 years.
This year, things happened a bit differently as the Bangalore-based franchise qualified for the next round, while the Chennai-based franchise became the first team to be eliminated from the competition. Over the last 13 years, many legendary players have been a part of these two franchises and here’s a look at the best IPL XI consisting of former RCB and CSK players.
Openers – Chris Gayle and Michael Hussey
Two former Orange Cap winners will open the innings for this dream team. The left-handed duo of Michael Hussey and Chris Gayle dominated the bowlers with their magnificent batting performances. Gayle played 84 IPL innings for RCB, scoring 3,163 runs. He holds the record for the highest individual score (175*) in IPL history.
Nicknamed as Mr. Cricket, Michael Hussey was known for his supreme consistency with the bat. Hussey had registered a hundred while making his debut for CSK in IPL. The left-handed Aussie scored 1,768 runs in just 49 innings for Chennai at a brilliant average of 42.10.
Middle Order – KL Rahul (wk), Rahul Dravid, Subramaniam Badrinath
KL Rahul will be the prime pick for the number three position. The Indian middle-order batsman captained KXIP in IPL 2020. Rahul scored 417 runs for RCB in 19 games.
Former RCB skipper Rahul Dravid will bat at number four. Although he was a Test match specialist, Dravid made a name for himself with his solid batting performances for the Royal Challengers Bangalore. Rahul scored 898 runs for them, including four fifties. Subramaniam Badrinath scored 1,441 runs in 67 innings for CSK. He later joined RCB but did not receive enough opportunities.
All-rounders – Yuvraj Singh and Albie Morkel
2011 World Cup hero Yuvraj Singh will be the team’s top Indian all-rounder. He played the only season for the Royal Challengers, scoring 376 runs and scalping five wickets for the team. Albie Morkel came into the spotlight after finishing off the matches for CSK with his aggressive batting style. The South African player played for both RCB and CSK in IPL, but he was more successful at CSK.
Bowlers – Anil Kumble (c), Zaheer Khan, Ashish Nehra, and Lakshmipathy Balaji
Anil Kumble will captain this XI. The leg-spinner, who scalped 45 wickets in 42 IPL matches, will also lead the spin attack of the team. Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra will be the top left-arm fast bowlers. Khan had multiple stints with the Bangalore-based franchise. He picked up 49 wickets in 44 games for them.
Ashish Nehra revived his career after performing well for CSK in IPL. Nehra picked up 30 wickets in 20 matches for CSK. CSK’s hat-trick hero Lakshmipathy Balaji completes this lineup. The current Chennai bowling coach had taken 31 wickets in 29 games for the 3-time champions when he was active on the field.
