A Blog exclusively for the Royal Challengers Bangalore!

This blog is exclusively dedicated to all the members of the RCB team and the fans. This is a small piece of appreciation from my side to two of my favorite Indian players, Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble. They both have worked tirelessly and unselfishly for the country for innumerable years and have given us some of the most cherished moments. They haven't always been in the limelight, but they have been as committed as one can get. For all their hard work, which, unfortunately some times was not fully recognized, this is a tribute to their legacy. And i find it necessary to mention here that this is not out of any regional or state preferences. I in fact, belong to Punjab and love my Cricket over and above regional divisions and preferences.
Those who love them or the team RCB for that matter, can show their affection and support, in whatever way they want to, by posting their comments and showing their loyalty.
As the teams gear up for the Champions League T20, here's wishing the Royal Challengers all the best. We are all with you, come on Challengers, smoke 'em!!!

Back to the basics!

The atmosphere was tense and rightly so for such a titanic clash. Some contests are more than just contests, and if ever there was one Mother of All Battles, it's the India-Pak clash. Among all the chaos and drama, the one man with the most calm head walked out as he has been doing for more than a decade, at that crucial No. 3 position for his country; a role reassigned recently after the short ball debacle. The calmness and composure were unmistakable and he started with his ever so familiar ease. He was the one who held the Innings together(yes, once again), and though there were all kinds of shots being hit by the batsmen around him, his role was clear to him more than anyone else. With utmost ease and surreal calmness, he looked for those singles and occasional boundaries. There's never been a doubt about his method and class, and he has shown once again, why he is known as THE WALL. His age notwithstanding, he gave the fight to the opposition until the end, till he was undone by some misunderstanding and was runout, probably the only way he would have got out. He has always been that kind of a guy, and you could sense it wasn't anything different at the SuperSport Park either. The nerves may have got to the others, but he stood there, a man on a mission, looking to play for the cause of the team, putting everything behind him. Records, hundreds, fifties don't matter to this man. He goes out there, puts his head down and does what he can foe the Team. It was pleasing to see him bat among all the other poor performance from the Indian team. And though his effort proved to be short as India couldn't reach home, i felt happy for the man. His commitment and determination haven't gone down an iota. The Wall is reconstructed. Beware the bowlers!

Royal Challengers Bangalore announce squad for Champions League T20

After a strong performance in the IPL-2, it's time now for Team RCB to step up to the International level. The Champions League starts from the 8th October and will consist of 12 teams. Our first match is with the Cape Cobras who are also a strong team. But we are ready to take on the world, and our skipper Anil Kumble is confident and has asked for support. We shall support the team throughout, that is for sure. The 15 member squad for the League has been announced. It consists of :
Anil Kumble (capt), Rahul Dravid, Robin Uthappa, Jacques Kallis, Ross Taylor, Dale Steyn, Manish Pandey, Praveen Kumar, Jesse Ryder, Roelof van der Merwe, Mark Boucher, Vinay Kumar, Virat Kohli, Akhil Balachandra, Rajesh Bishoni.
We have the right mix of explosive batsman and stability providers, youth and experience, and of course, the two dependable horses, Rahul and Anil.
I have a lot of expectations from the team and i wish them all the very best!

Manish Pandey says he's indebted to Rahul Dravid

Manish Pandey, the Royal Challengers Bangalore batsman who became the first Indian to make a century in the IPL, has thanked his state and IPL team-mate Rahul Dravid for inspiring him.

"I always look up to him as a cricketer," Pandey said on returning from South Africa. "Dravid really motivated me on and off the field ... I'm really indebted to him.

"I was fortunate to bat with him in the semi-final against Chennai Super Kings ... I grew up watching him and Sachin Tendulkar so I feel lucky to have played with them."

The 19-year-old Pandey shot into the limelight after making 114 against Deccan Chargers in the final league game before top-scoring with a composed 48 against Chennai Super Kings in the semi-final, both performances fetching him Man-of-the-Match awards.

"I am more confident now," Pandey, who had had few opportunities in the tournament before the game against Deccan, said. "The IPL is a big stage and the performance will surely help me go further. It's a turning point in my career."

He was also looking forward to a strong showing in the inaugural Champions League in October.

We wish him all the best for the Champions League T20.

A heart-breaking loss for RCB

Without taking any credit away from the Deccan chargers, it must be said that Kumble was very unlucky not to have got the Trophy in his hands this time. A modest man, he never really had the moments when he could lift a Trophy with the designation of a Captain.And now here he was, with the golden opportunity of taking the IPL trophy in one of the most dramatic finishes we could ever have seen. But as it turned out for all the RCB fans, that wasn't to be the case.
The last of those turning points was the 15th over, bowled by Andrew Symonds, who matched his verbal skills from earlier in the night with the wickets of Ross Taylor and Virat Kohli off back-to-back deliveries. Bangalore were 99 for 6 when the over started, and Taylor had looked dangerous during his 20-ball 27. That Symonds over, though, was symbolic of the night: every time a batsman got away from the bowling, a breakthrough pulled the batting side back. Pandey was a marked man during his innings. Symonds followed him wherever he went, giving him lip.
van der Merwe got a mouthful from Symonds and Harris, but he responded by hitting two sixes off one Harris over. Despite the maiden, Harris had gone for 23 in three overs. Even after Pragyan Ojha got Pandey with the first ball he bowled, van der Merwe's pyrotechnics kept Deccan at a distance.
The tension was palpable, and it sort of got to a senior pro like Rahul Dravid too.
As Bangalore targeted Harmeet Singh, Dravid missed a scoop and was bowled, and to me, it was the deadly blow, THE BLOW. I was completely shattered. How badly had i wanted to see this man score and win the final. He's my favorite batsman and i love seeing him play. I could feel the tension and it got to me like anything.

Amid the tension of the second innings one felt for Anil Kumble, who spent the most of the last over at the non-striker's end and saw his dream crash. Earlier Kumble had celebrated like a teenager but bowled like the veteran champion he is, and kept Deccan down to a manageable target.

He bowled the first over of the match, took Gilchrist out, then came back in the ninth to dismiss Symonds. That wicket was crucial because Symonds had been dropped on 5 by Dravid, and was reminding Bangalore eerily of the line his batting partner Herschelle Gibbs was apocryphally told during the 1999 World Cup. Kumble again came on in the 17th over to break a dangerous 52-run partnership between Rohit Sharma and Gibbs, when the two had taken Deccan to 110 for 3.

I felt for Kumble the most. How difficult it would have been for him to see the dream crash right in front of his eyes. I couldn't bear the pain, and admittedly i had teary eyes for a long time after that. Emotions took over seeing Kumble, who himself didn't show any signs of depression, but one could feel his disappointment.

I only hope RCB come bigger and go one step better in the next season and may Anil fulfill the unfinished job.

Kumble says One more win will be nice

And we completely agree with him.After a disastrous start to the season, Royal Challengers Bangalore have reached the final on the back of a five-game winning streak, and captain Anil Kumble has asked for one more victory to cap their resurgence. "One more win will be nice," he said after Bangalore outclassed Chennai Super Kings in the semi-final on Saturday. Kumble said the tight bowling at the death - only 42 runs were conceded in the final six overs - and the 72-run partnership Manish Pandey and Rahul Dravid for the third wicket were the keys to Bangalore's victory. "We really bowled well to restrict them to 146. Manish and Rahul batted brilliantly. Manish is a fantastic talent."
The 19-year-old Pandey's brisk 48, which helped Bangalore recover from the early loss of two wickets, earned him his second consecutive Man-of-the-Match award. "Last match was good and today I had the confidence," he said. "It was a good experience scoring against . It was good to bat with Rahul and we tried to rotate the strike as much as we could."

A complete turnaround of the Tables!

And so, as a blockbuster second season of the IPL reaches its summit, two of its biggest success stories clash in the finale in Johannesburg. They also happen to be the two most unlikely sides given how they fared in 2008. Deccan Chargers and Royal Challengers Bangalore were the two bottom-placed teams then, now they've busted out of the basement and made the house their own.
The major factor in Bangalore's rise has been Anil Kumble, who took over the captaincy from Kevin Pietersen.Bangalore's younger Indian players didn't start off well at all, but the seniors' performances started to rub off. Praveen Kumar, Vinay Kumar and Virat Kohli have chipped in with vital contributions to keep the team buoyant in the competition. This has been a team that has paid a lot of attention to preparation.
Bangalore are a confident side and will be boosted by the knowledge that they beat Deccan last time.Manish Pandey's rise has been exceptional. Hardly given a run last season, he delivered with the first IPL century by an Indian and followed up with another Man-of-the-Match effort in the semi-final. Statistically and psychologically Pandey's form will worry Deccan, because that century came against them. Cameos from Taylor and Kohli have come at right times, and Kumble and Roelof van der Merwe have delivered in pressure situations with their varieties of spin.