Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), one of the most popular franchises in the Indian Premier League (IPL), continue their pursuit of a maiden title despite boasting some of the biggest names in T20 cricket over the years. With the mega players' auction set for November 24-25 in Jeddah, RCB will aim to assemble a squad capable of finally securing their first IPL trophy in the upcoming season.
In the 2024 edition, RCB finished fourth on the points table with 7 wins and 7 defeats in their 14 matches to qualify for the playoffs. But they lost in the eliminator against Rajasthan Royals to bow out of the tournament. Having retained three players from that squad, RCB head into the auction with three Right-To-Match (RTM) cards, which they can use for both capped and uncapped players.
RETAINED CORE PLAYERSOne of the obvious RCB retentions was their former captain and batting icon Virat Kohli. They, however, used only three of the maximum six players franchises were allowed to retain before the auction.
Retention 1: Virat Kohli for INR 21 crore
Retention 2: Rajat Patidar for INR 11 crore
Retention: 3: Yash Dayal for INR 5 crore
REMAINING PURSE, AUCTION STRATEGY, KEY SLOTS TO FILL The sum of the amount spent to retain the above three players, which is Rs. 37 crore, will be deducted from RCB's total auction purse of Rs. 120 crore for IPL 2025. That will leave the RCB owners with a purse of Rs 83 crore to fill up the remaining 22 slots to complete the squad.
Among the retained players are two batsmen, Kohli and Patidar, and a fast bowler in Dayal. That leaves RCB with major calls to be taken in all departments of the game to come up with a strong squad.
A key part of their auction strategy is likely to be to find a player who can lead the side. While there have been reports that Kohli could be re-appointed as the skipper, RCB are likely to go after wicketkeeper-batsman and former Delhi Capitals' captain Rishabh Pant as their possible leader once his name pops up on the auction table.
RCB remaining purse: Rs. 83 crore
RCB Right-to-Match cards available: 3
RCB players retained: Virat Kohli (INR 21 crore), Rajat Patidar (INR 11 crore), Yash Dayal (INR 5 crore)
RCB slots remaining: 22 (8 overseas)
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