The former Royal Challengers Bangalore match-winner said lack of respect and attention paid to the franchise's lesser-known names has plagued the team over the years.
Chris Gayle came up with a staggering remark when asked to identify one major factor behind the lack of success tasted over the years by the famed Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) franchise.
The three-time finalists have never won an Indian Premier League (IPL) trophy, and their West Indies legend believes it’s down to how the team’s non-big stars were made to feel within the set-up.
Gayle reckons the RCB franchise failed to produce the best out of their playing XI during his tenure with the side until IPL 2017 because of the over-attention paid to the side’s leading names, including himself, AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli.
The mighty left-hander, who retired from IPL cricket after spending the next four years with the Punjab Kings (PBKS), said lesser-known names part of the RCB franchise “felt left out” and the lack of adequate attention paid to them by the think-tank meant these players never quite performed to their best. Gayle said the RCB couldn’t have won the title without their contributions.
“Sometimes, being one of the main players, being the main man of the franchise, I am always in my own zone, pretty much. What I understand when it comes from an RCB point of view is that a lot of players felt left out. A lot of players did not feel like they were a part of the franchise,” Gayle said on an IPL special show on ‘Jio Cinema’ – the digital rights holders of the tournament.
“It was like only three players were getting all the attention – myself, Virat, and AB. A lot of players, pretty much mentally, they were nowhere within the team. So that’s always going to be a challenge to win a title,” he added.
Gayle played seven years of the IPL cricket for RCB, spanning from 2011 to 2017. Coming on board as a replacement pick, he proved to be the destroyer with the bat in hand at the top, amassing over 3,000 runs with five centuries to his name. The player will be honoured with induction into the ‘RCB Hall of Fame’ at an upcoming event prior to the IPL 2023, starting March 31.
