 "RCB IPL Auction 2025 Review: Royal Challengers Bangalore implement bold strategy but leave bases uncovered")
The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), as is the norm, generated plenty of buzz at the Indian Premier League (IPL) auction, split equally between the players they bought and those they did not. They had a few RTM cards up their sleeve but chose not to use them for the likes of Faf du Plessis, Glenn Maxwell, Mohammed Siraj, or Will Jacks.
Instead, they spent big on Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jitesh Sharma, Josh Hazlewood, Liam Livingstone, and Phil Salt at the IPL Auction 2025 . Each of them could be match-winners on their day and RCB will hope they have many such days over the next few years.
RCB were particularly active on day two , concentrating on all-rounders that provide variety and give them more options. Krunal Pandya was one of those they purchased, with Tim David, a genuine finisher, also returning to the franchise, having turned out for them in 2021.
There were several other uncapped buys too, with Rasikh Dar headlining that category. Swapnil Singh was acquired via an RTM, and they were also quick to snap up Jacob Bethell, Nuwan Thushara and Romario Shepherd.
RCB 2025 Squad: Biggest strength
Their batting firepower. Any batting line-up that contains Virat Kohli, the ever-improving Rajat Patidar, David, Jitesh, Livingstone, and Salt, will be a handful for the opposition, more so at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. All of them may be right-handers, but Livingstone and Jitesh have a knack of innovating to put the bowlers under pressure, which will give RCB the ammunition to post above-par totals.
Jacob Bethell, who has taken to international cricket like a duck to water, is a player with an enormous ceiling and if he plays, he could provide RCB with a cavalier left-handed batting option.
The three-time finalists also have a tidy new-ball attack, featuring Bhuvneshwar and Hazlewood. Yash Dayal, as he showed last year, is not shabby either inside the powerplay and that should give RCB a good foundation to build upon.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsRCB 2025 Squad: Biggest weakness
Death-bowling. And that, as RCB fans would testify, is a tale as old as time. Bhuvneshwar, while probably still a force with the new ball, is not as potent as he once was toward the end of the innings, with Hazlewood also not an out-and-out death bowler. Dayal and Rasikh, thus, might have to shoulder a significant chunk of the burden - a far-from-ideal situation.
Their batting arsenal, despite its obvious firepower, also seems slightly imbalanced. David, Jitesh, and Livingstone are finishers, with Kohli and Salt most definitely top-order batters. That leaves only Patidar as the bridge between the two. Krunal is an option but he has been found out against the short ball in recent seasons.
They also do not have a top-class spinner in their ranks. Krunal and Suyash Sharma can do a job, as can Livingstone, although they may struggle on the flat tracks in Bengaluru.
RCB have also traded continuity for a new direction, and there is uncertainty over how that will pan out.
RCB at auction: What could they have done differently?
A little bit of everything, really. Spacing out their targets would have helped. Using their RTM more than once, especially in Jacks’ case, might also have been a prudent move. Given what RCB eventually paid for Bhuvneshwar, they could have probably gone harder for Mohammed Shami. Or, someone like Washington Sundar - a left-handed floater currently playing for India - who only cost the Gujarat Titans Rs 3.2 crore.
RCB have since said that they were looking for specific roles and players, but with the host of changes, they are gambling on all of these moving parts aligning and falling into place.
RCB: Early prediction for IPL 2025
Predicting a team’s final position after an IPL auction is often a futile exercise. But RCB, even at this point, seem to have left a few bases uncovered, and while they could still defy expectations - like they did last season - a playoff spot might just be out of grasp in 2025.
RCB: Probable XI/XII
Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Rajat Patidar, Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma, Krunal Pandya, Tim David, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma, Yash Dayal, Rasikh Dar
IPL Auction 2025: Players purchased by RCB
Liam Livingstone (Rs 8.75 crore), Phil Salt (Rs 11.50 crore), Jitesh Sharma (Rs 11 crore), Josh Hazlewood (Rs 12.50 crore), Rasikh Dar Salam (Rs 6 crore), Suyash Sharma (Rs 2.60 crore), Krunal Pandya (Rs 5.75 crore), Bhuvneshwar Kumar (Rs 10.75 crore), Swapnil Singh (Rs 50 lakh RTM), Tim David (Rs 3 crore), Romario Shepherd (Rs 1.50 crore), Nuwan Thushara (Rs 1.60 crore), Manoj Bhandage (Rs 30 lakh), Jacob Bethell (Rs 2.60 crore), Devdutt Padikkal (Rs 2 crore), Swastik Chikara (Rs 30 lakh), Lungi Ngidi (Rs 1 crore), Abhinandan Singh (Rs 30 lakh), Mohit Rathee (Rs 30 lakh).
RCB full squad for IPL 2025
Virat Kohli, Liam Livingstone, Rajat Patidar, Yash Dayal, Phil Salt, Jitesh Sharma, Josh Hazlewood, Rasikh Dar Salam, Suyash Sharma, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Swapnil Singh, Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Nuwan Thushara, Manoj Bhandage, Jacob Bethell, Devdutt Padikkal, Swastik Chikara, Lungi Ngidi, Abhinandan Singh, Mohit Rathee.
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