IPL 2018: How RCB is working hard to ensure its trophy cabinet stays empty

Well, yes. Royal Challengers Banglore lost the opening match to Kolkata Knight Riders in Kolkata. A star-studded team, best batsmen at their disposal, a super-aggressive captain, and yet the result -- not able to defend a not-so-bad total! That is the story of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).

Winning the toss, Dinesh Karthik, the newly appointed captain of KKR, invited Virat Kohli & company to bat first. With the firepower of Brendon McCullum and Quinton de Kock in the arsenal, a blazing start was expected. McCullum did smash a few shots across the park in the first over of the innings, but de Kock survived only two balls and fell cheaply.

If a team is losing an opener for a paltry score and that too in the powerplay, a big score for the team becomes highly unlikely. McCullum did what he is known for: He took apart the KKR bowling and kept the scoring rate high. However, he could not comprehend the spin magic of Sunil Narine and was clean bowled.

When AB de Villiers joined Virat Kohli, it seemed there was a show waiting to be unleashed. Kohli looked rusty, but AB seemed in sublime touch. Those towering sixes by him were quite a treat to watch. But then Karthik pulled out the rabbit from his hat: In came part-timer Nitish Rana and slow, right-arm bowler, perplexed the mighty ABD, and eventually took his wicket. His inability to play spin was evident. The dream run for Rana did not end with AB's wicket. He bowled Virat Kohli on the very next ball.

Vivo IPL 2018 team players list and their salaries

Ben Stokes was the star performer for the second consecutive year in the IPL auction as he was taken for Rs 12.5 crore by Rajasthan Royals

In the 2018 IPL auction a pool of 578 players were nominated and 169 players were sold to the eight franchises. England all-rounder Ben Stokes emerged as the highest-paid player at Rs 125 mn (Rs 12.5 cr) while the India's left arm seamer Jaydev Unadkat become the most expensive Indian player at Rs 115 million (Rs11.5cr). Both the players were bought by the Rajasthan Royals.

Other Indian players also had a field day, with Manish Pandey and KL Rahul going for Rs 11 crore each for Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kings XI Punjab respectively

Meanwhile, this year’s IPL auction shows that quality ranks above everything else for the franchises. A prime example of that is Lasith Malinga going unsold and Chris Gayle finding a team only after coming into the auction for a third time.

Here the full list of IPL 2018 team players and their salaries.