Virat Kohli Names All-Time RCB XI With Anil Kumble, KL Rahul And Dale Steyn

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Virat Kohli Names All-Time RCB XI With Anil Kumble, KL Rahul And Dale Steyn

Virat Kohli revealed his all-time Royal Challengers Bengaluru(RCB) XI, featuring Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers, Anil Kumble, KL Rahul and Mitchell Starc.

Virat Kohli prepares for the Indian Premier League 2026 with the Royal Challengers Bengaluru. The 36-year-old was a vital part of the team when they won their first IPL title in 2025. RCB will begin their title defence against Sunrisers Hyderabad at M Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Before the season, Virat Kohli revealed his all-time RCB playing XI in a video shared on the franchise’s X account. He selected Chris Gayle as the opening partner and placed AB de Villiers at number 3. Kohli included KL Rahul at number 4, followed by Rajat Patidar at 5 and Dinesh Karthik at 6.

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The bowling unit featured Harshal Patel, Anil Kumble, Mitchell Starc, Dale Steyn and Yuzvendra Chahal.

“I would say Gayle and myself to open AB at three. Okay, let me get the four overseas out of the way. AB, Chris, and Mitchell Starc, because he played for us. The 4th overseas player for me would be, I think, Dale (Steyn), because I would like the bowling to be even stronger in that XI. So yeah, you got two seamers; you got Chris, myself and AB. At four, I would have KL (Rahul). He had an amazing season, I think, batting at four for us. Five, I would say, give five to Rajat (Patidar), maybe, because he plays spin amazingly well and he’s one of the best Indian talents that we’ve had. Six would be Dinesh (Karthik), for sure, and Yuzi (Yuzvendra Chahal) at 11 for his batting ability,” Kohli said.

“Now I’ve got seven and eight left, right? Anil Bhai (Kumble) at eight – wow, that would be an unbelievable 11. Okay, I’ll go Harshal (Patel), with his little bit of batting ability as well. And he fits in as the perfect third seamer; he’s been bowling in different phases,” he added.

Virat Kohli’s All-Time IPL XI

Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli, AB De Villiers, KL Rahul, Rajat Patidar, Dinesh Karthik, Harshal Patel, Anil Kumble, Mitchell Starc, Dale Steyn, Yuzvendra Chahal

Written by Lakshmi G Menon · In: IPL News
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