Royal Challengers Bengaluru have been a part of the Indian Premier League since the inception of the league. However, no coach has been able to guide the RCB franchise to the IPL trophy. Over the last 16 years, RCB have hired some of the best coaches in the world.
2011 Cricket World Cup winning coach Gary Kirsten, 2023 Cricket World Cup winning coach Andrew McDonald, 2007 T20 World Cup winning coach Venkatesh Prasad and several other legends have been a part of the RCB support staff. However, none of them could lead the franchise to glory.
Interestingly, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru have also hired two such names as coaches who once won the IPL trophy. Here’s a list of two such players.
1. Dinesh Karthik won IPL 2013 trophy and then became RCB batting coach in 2025
Former Indian wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik participated in each and every IPL season played since 2008. He started his journey with Delhi Daredevils before plying his trade for Kings XI Punjab, Mumbai Indians, Gujarat Lions, Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Kolkata Knight Riders. He ended his IPL career at RCB earlier this year.
Karthik’s only trophy-winning campaign was in 2013 when he was with the Mumbai Indians. He is now set to play the role of a batting coach and a mentor for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the 2025 season.
2. Ashish Nehra
Ashish Nehra is one of the few cricketers who has won the IPL trophy as a coach and a player. He won the trophy with the Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2016. Just two years later, Nehra joined the Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s coaching staff.
Nehra was a member of the RCB coaching staff from 2018 to 2019, but the team could not qualify for the playoffs in any of the two tournaments. He joined Gujarat Titans as their head coach in 2022 and won the title in the first season itself.
