Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers: IPL's unluckiest duo

"Good players win you matches, good team wins you titles." This has been a known norm in sports. Any team having a couple of outstanding individuals might manage to win a few matches, but very rarely a tournament. But a team which has all the individuals performing well, even without any superstar, can definitely a tournament.

In Indian Premier League, Rajasthan Royals proved how a successful team effort can reap rewards by winning the title in the inaugural season. Led by Shane Warne, the team did not have any superstars. Yet, their success relied on all the 11 players, and the squad players performing consistently.

And if there is any example of how a couple of extraordinary players do not result in a title, its of Royal Challengers Bangalore. 

Despite having AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli in their ranks for each of the last eight seasons, the closest RCB have come is finishing as the runners up on two occasions. While there's no denying they have been tad unlucky to not even have won a single trophy, the real sympathy should go towards de Villiers and Kohli.

Over the course of the last eight season, the RCB skipper has scored an astonishing 4230 runs in just 118 matches. As for de Villiers, the South African has played 113 matches, and scored 3282 runs.

When batting together, they have touched extraordinary heights. With eight 100+ partnerships, the duo have been without a doubt the best pair in the league. But the lack of support from other batsmen, and the bowlers, has meant they could only win matches for RCB, and not trophy.

READ: IPL 2018: Gopal Spins Royals To Victory, Sends Kohli's RCB Out Of Play-offs Equation

With defeat against Rajasthan Royals in their final fixture of IPL 2018, RCB failed to qualify for the playoffs. This was the fifth time in the last eight seasons that they haven't made out of the group stages.

This season, like most others, the burden of scoring fell upon these two, with others failing to chip in with the bat. Take away the duo from the list, the highest run-getter would be Mandeep Singh, who has just 252 runs. 

Even the bowling department has been well below par for RCB. While Umesh Yadav has shone with the ball, with 20 wickets, he has received next to zero support from the others. 

Bringing out flaws from RCB's previous seasons would take days and nights. At least this season, the team had high expectations, given they made some smart purchases in the auction. Yet, nothing has come out of it, with Kohli and de Villiers forced to do it on their own.

READ: IPL 2018: Virat Kohli Compares AB De Villiers To A Marvel Superhero After His One-Handed Miracle Catch

It's safe to say, RCB's failure to win a trophy in IPL shouldn't be heartbreaking to many. But the failure for Kohli and de Villiers to get a hand on the glorious trophy certainly breaks many fan's hearts.