Calcutta: Chris Gayle had been an integral part of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) since 2011. But during the auction this January, RCB decided to do away with the West Indies opener.

On the eve of their IPL XI opener against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), captain Virat Kohli said the decision was taken keeping in mind the next three years.

"Chris has done a great job for RCB over the past few years. But the team dynamics for the next three years was taken into account before making this decision.

"We thought infusing new people will give us the kind of balance we require. It will strengthen the areas we wanted to over the past few years.

"Taking nothing away from Chris, we decided to go in with the balance that can sustain us in the next three years. We do not want to be relying on two-three people all the time and those were a few reasons behind releasing Chris," Virat said on Saturday.

Kohli also suggested that he will bat at his preferred No.3 position for RCB, given the abundance of options in the squad this season. "In the past, it was more or less that I had to (open the batting).

"I quite enjoyed that role. I've done well for the Indian team at three.

"I've a good understanding of playing in that position and it gives the team a lot of stability," the India captain said.

Stating that he sees himself batting at No.3, a position he has made his own for India in limited-overs cricket, Kohli said it will also depend on the opposition and the situation the team is in.

"I see myself starting there, but it also depends on who we playing against. We are going to be flexible. We are adapting to situations with the kind of pitches on offer. Predominantly, I will bat at No. 3," the 29-year-old said.

As an opener, Kohli has been quite successful in the IPL, aggregating 1,750 runs in 43 innings at an enviable average of 53.03.

RCB have often lacked options as far as the opening slot is concerned, but this time the likes of New Zealander Brendon McCullum, South African Quinton de Kock, England all-rounder Moeen Ali, Manan Vohra, Parthiv Patel and Mandeep Singh will give the Daniel Vettori-coached side a lot of options. The last time RCB played at the Eden, they were bundled out for the lowest-ever IPL total (49).

Asked if that would be on the mind ahead of Sunday's clash, Kohli said: "We don't have bad records here.

"As far as last year's game goes, it was just a one-off game we had here. We put it behind us immediately on that night... It was bizarre...

"Very rarely you get out for 49 with that kind of batting. That shows all about T20 cricket and what momentum can do in this format."

RCB finished at the bottom of the pile last time and since the start of the IPL have come close to laying their hands on the elusive trophy thrice - in 2009, 2011 and 2016. Asked about the team's strengths this time, Kohli said they are a balanced unit than before.

"It's a start of a lot of things. A lot of things have changed from the past, specially with the way our team looks this year. I think it's very balanced.

'We have a lot of bowling options which we lacked in the past. It's been a team dominated by batting and that has pushed us forward in the tournament, but I think this time around we can bank on both aspects equally which I think is a very good place to be in."

RCB have the likes of Chris Woakes, Umesh Yadav, Washington Sundar and Tim Southee in their ranks.