Picture Credit: Twitter
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) is one of the most loved teams in the Indian Premier League (IPL). But its fans are still to see their team lift the first IPL trophy. Even with so many stars in their lineup, RCB have had issues. They are often termed as unlucky as results have not been in their favor. They have come closest to winning an IPL trophy three times (2009, 2011, 2016) but have ended on the losing side.
Among all the three instances, 2016 was the best chance RCB could have lifted their maiden title but somehow, they could not. In a run chase of 209, RCB were 100/0 in 9 overs. Both of their openers, Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli, scored half-centuries but RCB failed to capitalize on the start. They kept losing wicket after wicket and ended on the losing side in their third IPL final.
It was a night of disappointment for both, RCB players and fans. There were dejected faces in the camp. Talking about the same on the RCB podcast, Virat Kohli said that 'it still hurts'. The former RCB skipper said that whenever there is a highlight package of that game, KL Rahul, who was part of the team then, sends him a screenshot.
“I felt like it was written. How can the final be in Bangalore, and we play a season like that, we play that kind of a game where we are 100-something without a wicket in 9 overs and then” (we collapse), said Kohli.
“To this date, when there is a highlight package coming on Star of that game, KL takes screenshots from that game and says it still hurts. And it does. You’d think about the game every now and then and how there were dejected faces in that amazing setup we had done for the post-victory celebration. It was such a huge setup, and we were sat there thinking we gave our everything,” he added.
Nonetheless, another season of IPL is set to kickoff and the RCB fans will against chant the famous slogan "Ee Sala Cup Namde". But with AB de Villiers retired and Virat Kohli in as a player, it will be interesting to see how RCB fares this season.
