Kohli, De Villiers, Gayle given special preference: Parthiv Patel exposes favoritism in RCB's inner sanctum

Former India wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel exposed the poor culture inside the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) from his playing days. He said that the team was all about Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, and Chris Gayle, and the rest of the players were not given preference.

Parthiv Patel was an integral part of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Indian Premier League. The keeper-batter had two separate stints at RCB in 2014 and from 2018 to 2020. He played a vital role for the team while batting at the top and played some crucial knocks for his team during his time there.

During his time with the team, Royal Challengers Bengaluru had a power-packed lineup. The likes of Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, and Chris Gayle were there and during Parthiv's first stint, all three were at their peak and were scoring truckloads of runs for the team.

It's fair to say that the presence of the three big guns didn't allow any other players to get the limelight. Because they were doing bulk scoring and were rated as the heart and soul of the team. Parthiv Patel, who was the Indian international, also didn't get the attention he would've wanted.

Parthiv Patel while talking on the Cyrus Says Podcast, stated that during his four years with Royal Challengers Bengaluru, he realized that the franchise is not about the team but about Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, and Chris Gayle. He explained:

"I played for RCB, I have been there for four years. The team is always about individuals it's not about the team. And then everyone will come out of that team and say that. Because it's all about Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, and Chris Gayle when I was in the team."

Parthiv Patel played 12 matches for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in 2014 and then played 20 games in 2018 and 2019. He couldn't help the team big time as they missed on qualification in all the seasons that he played for the franchise.

They were given the kind of special preference - Parthiv Patel on Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, and Chris Gayle

Parthiv Patel further revealed that Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, and Chris Gayle were given a special kind of preference and there was no team culture. He mentioned that this is one of the main reasons why the Royal Challengers Bengaluru haven't won the trophy. He added:

"So they were given the kind of special preference always so the team culture was not there you can see clearly when they are playing, and that is the reason why they haven't won the trophies. That's the fact."

Notably, the trio of Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, and Chris Gayle are the leading run-getters for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Indian Premier League. While Kohli has 8.428 runs at an average of 38.66 and a strike rate of 132.78 in 267 games, the former South African has amassed 4,500 runs at an average of 41.10 and a strike rate of 158.33.

Gayle is the third leading run-getter with 3,420 runs at an average-to-strike rate combination of 43.29 and 154.40.