Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) is still yearning for their first Indian Premier League title, and 2025 will be another critical season for the team. In four of the previous five seasons, RCB has made the playoffs before collapsing. Building on this, the courageous army will be eager to go strong and long. The IPL 2025 Mega Auction in Jeddah saw RCB construct a decent yet fascinating lineup.

The loyal fanbase-supported squad is once again a team with several fresh faces. So, once again, we're starting from zero. It will be interesting to see if they would go to their veteran, Virat Kohli and persuade this team to play regularly and produce results that need to be seen or go for a new captaincy take in the form of Rajat Patidar, who was phenomenal in the domestic cricket space. Here, we present the two strengths and one weakness that can be taken away from the IPL 2025 RCB squad. 

Royal Challengers Bengaluru 2025 IPL Squad: Virat Kohli, Rajit Patidar, Yash Dayal, Josh Hazlewood, Phil Salt, Jitesh Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Tim David, Liam Livingstone, Rasikh Salam, Krunal Pandya, Suyash Sharma, Jacob Bethell, Devdutt Padikkal, Nuwan Thushara, Lungi Ngidi, Romario Shepherd, Swapnil Singh, Swastik Chikara, Manoj Bhandage, Abhinandan Singh, Lungi Ngidi, Mohit Rathee

2 Strengths:

Strong top and middle-order batting unit

This season, they have a good lineup for batting is RCB's strength. RCB's bases are covered from start to end. What RCB did well was to get Phil Salt. He was a revelation for the Kolkata Knight Riders last season. With Salt in charge, RCB may expect a quick start this season. Salt will begin with Kohli, and the two may create a lethal combination. The opening duo can complement each other, especially given the Chinnaswamy Cricket Stadium's limited dimensions.

Rajat Patidar is another towering figure who can bat at number three or four. He can serve as the side's fulcrum. England's Liam Livingstone stands out at number five with tremendous hitting power. The side's finishers include Jitesh Sharma, Krunal Pandya, and Tim David. Jacob Bethell is the player on the bench with the most potential to make an impact. He is one of the players to watch out for this season, showing promise through his recent international performances. 

Experienced fast-bowling campaigners

RCB's main-pace assault is potent and lethal, with Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yash Dayal, and Josh Hazlewood among the players. Bhuvi will effectively use his experience. Hazlewood will provide substance as well. Left-arm bowler Yash Dayal, who was renowned for conceding five sixes in the penultimate over against Rinku Singh of the Kolkata Knight Riders when playing for the Gujarat Titans, has shown to be a valuable asset for RCB and will continue to be. His return is nothing short of an inspiring piece.

Even the likes of Rasikh Salam Dar, who was bought for a colossal INR 6 Crores in the Mega Auction, can play a pivotal role with his emerging potent pace. Nuwan Thusara and Lungi Ngidi are essential players on the bench who can take over if Hazlewood or any of the primary bowlers are rested, citing an injury. 

1 Weakness:

Lack of a frontline spinner

Spin is probably the only biggest weakness for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru. They rely heavily on Krunal Pandya, a bowling all-rounder. Pandya struggled the previous season, averaging 42.50 and collecting six wickets in 14 matches. Pandya is not the type of bowler who can take 15 or more wickets in a season, as many other teams' spinners do, but can probably hinder the momentum of the opposition batters.

Suyash Sharma, RCB's second spin option, is set to play with Pandya. Suyash, a promising spin prodigy, played a few games for KKR, getting 10 wickets in 13 games. So, it's all about their inexperience, but only time will tell how they will unfold with their spinmeister tricks. Overall, their spin assault may or may not make it through.

In a recent event, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain Ruturaj Gaikwad was in an awkward moment where he hilariously dragged Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).

Recently, Ruturaj Gaikwad was present at the INFYusion event hosted by Infosys in Bengaluru, where his mic was suddenly turned off. When the presenter was querying about the incident, the CSK skipper hilariously said that it might be done by an RCB fan.

Here are the scenarios of that event

Presenter: What's happening here? Who turned off Ruturaj Gaikwad's mic?

Ruturaj: Maybe an RCB fan.

Presenter: What's your favorite IPL moment?

Ruturaj: My first match as captain, and we won that match against RCB.

He has taken these RCB related incidents personally which has happened after 18th May🥶🥶..
He's gonna cook this IPL..
Mark my words 💥💥 pic.twitter.com/3ZZDls3oeE

— Mahi Way (@NamahShivaay108) December 19, 2024

See Also: Virat Kohli's childhood coach drops a bombshell

RCB vs CSK battle in the IPL 2024

Just before the beginning of the IPL 2024, Ruturaj Gaikwad was chosen as the new captain of Chennai Super Kings, one of the most successful IPL teams. The Indian cricketer started his IPL captaincy journey with the match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru at Chennai, where CSK won by six wickets. It was the first game of the IPL 2024, and the defending champions confidently started the tournament under new leadership.

Defending champions CSK were in a do-or-die situation in the last league stage game of the IPL 2024 against RCB at Bengaluru. It was a tight contest between RCB and CSK, where RCB scored 218/5, but they needed to stop CSK at less than 200 runs to qualify for the playoffs; CSK would qualify for the playoffs by scoring 200 or more runs. The match went to the last over, where CSK scored 191/7 and RCB booked their spot for the playoffs.

IPL 2024 most runs also experienced RCB vs CSK battle

In the IPL 2024, while the former RCB captain Virat Kohli finished as the leading run-scorer with 741 runs, CSK skipper Gaikwad scored 583 runs and finished as the second-most run-scorer in the tournament. 

After the thrilling and unforgettable mega auction, all ten teams are set for IPL 2025. It is now time for team analysis and to choose the best and worst teams before the beginning of the IPL 2025. While some franchises have impressed on the mega auction table, some franchises have disappointed despite buying talented players. Let's look at the Cricketwinner ratings of all the 10 squads

1. Gujarat Titans

After some good retentions (Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, Rahul Tiwari, Shahrukh Khan, Rashid Khan), IPL 2022 champions Gujarat Titans battled hard to secure Jos Buttler, Mohammed Siraj, Kagiso Rabada, and Prasidh Krishna. The retained and top-signed players love to dominate in their respective duties. Moreover, GT added more good all-rounders like Glenn Phillips, Sherfane Rutherford, Karim Janat, Washington Sundar, etc. Overall, the franchise has built up a well-balanced team for the IPL 2025, as there is hardly any gap. 

GT full squad for IPL 2025: Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, Shahrukh Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Jos Buttler, Mohammed Siraj, Kagiso Rabada, Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Sherfane Rutherford, Gerald Coetzee, Glenn Phillips, Sai Kishore, Mahipal Lomror, Karim Janat, Gurnoor Brar, Arshad Khan, Jayant Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Kumar Kushagra, Nishant Sindhu, Manav Suthar, Anuj Rawat, Kulwant Khejroliya.

Team rating: 8.5/10

See Also: IPL 2025: Top 5 Shocking Unsold Star Players in the IPL history

2. SunRisers Hyderabad

IPL 2016 champions and IPL 2024 runners-up SunRisers Hyderabad set a new example of dominant batting in the last IPL season. We can expect the same in the IPL 2025 as most of the key batters are retained in the squad along with the skipper and pacer Pat Cummins. Apart from some strong all-rounder names, SRH also have strong pacers and spinners. It seems that the franchise has built up another well-balanced T20 side. 

SRH full squad for IPL 2025:  Heinrich Klaasen, Pat Cummins, Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ishan Kishan, Jaydev Unadkat, Mohammed Shami, Harshal Patel, Rahul Chahar, Abhinav Manohar, Adam Zampa, Simarjeet Singh, Eshan Malinga, Brydon Carse, Sachin Baby, Kamindu Mendis, Zeeshan Ansari, Aniket Verma, Atharva Taide.

Team rating: 8/10

3. Kolkata Knight Riders

Due to the strong retention and the addition of more regular faces from the auction, the three-time and reigning IPL champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) can maintain their champion charms in IPL 2025. The overseas dominant all-rounders are match-winners (Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Moeen Ali, Rovman Powell) along with Ramandeep Singh and Venkatesh Iyer. 

Quinton de Kock, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Rinku Singh, Manish Pandey, Ajinkya Rahane, and Angkrish Raghuvanshi are strong names in batting. With Sunil Narine and Moeen Ali, Indian cricketers Varun Chakravarthy and Mayank Markande provide strong spin bowling options. South African fast bowler Anrich Nortje and rising Indian pacer Harshit Rana are two big names in the pace-bowling line-up. 

KKR full squad for IPL 2025:  Rinku Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Harshit Rana, Ramandeep Singh, Venkatesh Iyer, Anrich Nortje, Quinton de Kock, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Spencer Johnson, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Moeen Ali, Vaibhav Arora, Rovman Powell, Ajinkya Rahane, Umran Malik, Manish Pandey, Anukul Roy, Luvnith Sisodia, Mayank Markande.

Team rating: 7.5/10

4. Chennai Super Kings

The present Chennai Super Kings squad has many known faces for the Yellow Army fans. Not only their retained players, but also the RTM Rachin Ravindra, Devon Conway, Sam Curran, and Ravichandran Ashwin also have great memories with the team. If the experienced team management can work well with the Indian pace-bowling line-up, the five-time IPL champions can create a new IPL history.

CSK full squad for IPL 2025: Ravindra Jadeja, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Matheesha Pathirana, Shivam Dube, MS Dhoni, Noor Ahmad, R Ashwin, Devon Conway, Khaleel Ahmed, Rachin Ravindra, Rahul Tripathi, Anshul Kamboj, Sam Curran, Gurjapneet Singh, Nathan Ellis, Deepak Hooda, Jamie Overton, Vijay Shankar, Vansh Bedi, Shreyas Gopal, C Andre Siddarth, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Shaik Rasheed, Mukesh Choudhary, Kamlesh Nagarkoti.

Team rating: 7/10

See Also: IPL 2025: Top 5 Steal Deals from the 2025 IPL Mega Auction

5. Royal Challengers Bengaluru

Three-time IPL runners-up Royal Challengers Bengaluru have strong batting lineups on top and in the middle. Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar, Liam Livingstone, Tim David, Krunal Pandya, etc. are big names in the RCB batting line-up. The pace-bowling lineup is equally strong with the Indians and overseas names. All-rounders can fill up the spin-bowling gap.   

RCB full squad for IPL 2025: Virat Kohli, Rajit Patidar, Yash Dayal, Josh Hazlewood, Phil Salt, Jitesh Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Tim David, Liam Livingstone, Rasikh Salam, Krunal Pandya, Suyash Sharma, Jacob Bethell, Devdutt Padikkal, Nuwan Thushara, Lungi Ngidi, Romario Shepherd, Swapnil Singh, Swastik Chikara, Manoj Bhandage, Abhinandan Singh, Lungi Ngidi, Mohit Rathee

Team rating: 6.5/10

6. Delhi Capitals

Although Delhi Capitals had to release Rishabh Pant, they still have built up a good team for IPL 2025. While the team has strong foreign names in the batting (Jake Fraser-McGruk, Harry Brook, Faf du Plessis, Tristian Stubbs), the Indian batting names are limited to KL Rahul and Abhishek Porel. The team has young talented all-rounders, where Axar Patel has to play an important role. The pace-bowling has strong names, both from India (Mukesh Kumar, T Natarajan, Mohit Sharma) and overseas (Mitchell Starc and Dushmantha Chameera). Meanwhile, the experienced spinners are Kuldeep Yadav and all-rounder Axar Patel. 

DC full squad for IPL 2025: Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Tristan Stubbs, Abishek Porel, KL Rahul, Mitchell Starc, T Natarajan, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Mukesh Kumar, Harry Brook, Ashutosh Sharma, Mohit Sharma, Faf du Plessis, Sameer Rizvi, Dushmantha Chameera, Donavan Ferreira, Vipraj Nigam, Manvanth Kumar, Darshan Nalkande, Ajay Mandal, Tripurana Vijay, Madhav Tiwari.

Team rating: 6.5/10

7. Mumbai Indians

The five-time IPL champions Mumbai Indians are desperate to break their recent inconsistent status. While they retained important names, batting looks strong with the question of its depth and strong replacements. Pace bowlers are very strong with the leading charges of Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult. All-rounder Mitchell Santner is the only powerful experienced spinner in the team. 

MI full squad for IPL 2025: Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, Rohit Sharma, Tilak Varma, Trent Boult, Deepak Chahar, Naman Dhir, Will Jacks, Allah Ghazanfar, Mitchell Santner, Ryan Rickelton, Reece Topley, Robin Minz, Karn Sharma, Bevon Jacobs, Ashwani Kumar, Krishnan Shrijith, Arjun Tendulkar, Lizaad Williams, Vignesh Puthur.

Team rating: 6/10

8. Punjab Kings

The IPL 2014 runners-up Punjab Kings are desperate to remove their underperformer tag from the IPL 2025, as the team has failed to reach the playoffs the last ten seasons. They have big overseas names Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Aaron Hardie, Azmatullah Omarzai, Marco Jansen, and Lockie Ferguson, along with the Indian stars Shreyas Iyer, Arshdeep Singh, and Yuzvendra Chahal. While there is a lack of Indian alternatives, the PBKS’ success in the IPL 2025 depends on the performances of the Indian cricketers. 

PBKS full squad for IPL 2025: Shashank Singh, Prabhsimran Singh, Arshdeep Singh, Shreyas Iyer, Yuzvendra Chahal, Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, Nehal Wadhera, Harpreet Brar, Vishnu Vinod, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Yash Thakur, Marco Jansen, Josh Inglis, Lockie Ferguson, Azmatullah Omarzai, Harnoor Pannu, Kuldeep Sen, Priyansh Arya, Aaron Hardie, Musheer Khan, Suryansh Shedge, Xavier Bartlett, Pyla Avinash, Pravin Dubey.

Team rating: 5.5/10

9. Lucknow Super Giants

Lucknow Super Giants have strong overseas batting options along with Rishabh Pant, whose INR 27 crore bid broke the IPL auction record. Apart from Pant, the franchise’s Indian batting option isn’t strong enough. The team has been filled with young talented Indian pacers and spinners, who need proper guidance in tough times. By looking at the team initially, the franchise hasn’t set up a balanced team for the IPL 2025.   

LSG full squad for IPL 2025: Nicholas Pooran, Mayank Yadav, Ravi Bishnoi, Ayush Badoni, Mohsin Khan, Rishabh Pant, Avesh Khan, David Miller, Shahbaz Ahmed, Abdul Samad, Akash Deep, Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, Matthew Breetzke, Shamar Joseph, M Siddharth, Himmat Singh, Arshin Kulkarni, Digvesh Singh, Prince Yadav, Yuvraj Chaudhary, Akash Singh, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Aryan Juyal.

Team rating: 4.5/10

10. Rajasthan Royals

While the inaugural IPL champions Rajasthan Royals have retained strong names, the exclusion of English white-ball captain Jos Buttler was the big blow for Royals. The franchise still has enough explosive Indian batters, and their pace and spin bowling options are fully talented and consistent. While they haven’t any experienced Indian spinners, their Indian pace bowling experience is limited.

RR full squad for IPL 2025: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson, Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag, Shimron Hetmyer, Sandeep Sharma, Jofra Archer, Wanindu Hasaranga, Tushar Deshpande, Maheesh Theekshana, Nitish Rana, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Kwena Maphaka, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Akash Madhwal, Shubham Dubey, Yudhvir Singh, Kumar Kartikeya, Kunal Rathore, Ashok Sharma.

Team rating: 3.5/10

The three-time IPL runners-up Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) are desperate to win their first IPL trophy. In the last five seasons, RCB reached the playoffs for four editions. Last season, RCB won only one match in their first eight fixtures but strongly made a comeback and beat the odds to qualify for the playoffs after winning all their last six league stage games. 

RCB retained two capped and one uncapped player ahead of the mega auction. To retain three players, the franchise spent INR 37 crore, as they had INR 83 crore in the purse for the mega auction. 

SEE ALSO: IPL 2025: Ranking all ten teams squads post the 2025 IPL Mega Auction

Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Key additions from the mega auction

In the mega auction, RCB spent more than INR 10 crore for four key names, Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood, English opener Phil Salt, Indian cricketer Jitesh Sharma and pacer Bhuvneswar Kumar. They also have some big all-rounder names in the middle-order batting, like Liam Livingstone, Tim David, and Krunal Pandya. Devdutt Padikkal has returned to the RCB. The other big names in the pace-bowling options are South African Lungi Ngidi and Sri Lankan Nuwan Thusara. 

RCB Full Squad

Batters: Virat Kohli (retained), Rajat Patidar (retained), Devdutt Padikkal, Swastik Chikara

Wicketkeepers: Phil Salt (English), Jitesh Sharma

All-rounders: (RTM) Swapnil Singh, Liam Livingstone (English), Tim David (Australian), Jacob Bethell (English), Romario Shepherd (Guyanese), Krunal Pandya, Manoj Bhandage, Mohit Rathee

Spinners: Suyash Sharma

Pacers: Yash Dayal (retained), Josh Hazlewood (Australian), Lungi Ngidi (South African), Nuwan Thusara (Sri Lankan), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rasikh Salam Dar, Abhinandan Singh

Brief SWOT analysis

RCB have strong top-order and middle-order batting. The overseas all-rounders have strong strike rates which is appropriate for middle-order batting in T20 cricket. The bowling line-up is new with some big international names. RCB have limited experienced Indian names in pace and spin bowling options. The other Indian names in these categories aren’t experienced. 

RCB Best Possible XI for IPL 2025

Phil Salt, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar, Jitesh Sharma, Liam Livingstone, Tim David/Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Lungi Ngidi/Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal

The 2025 IPL Mega Auction in Jeddah featured a mix of shocks, significant expenditure, and intriguing roster reshuffles. With INR 639.15 crore invested in 182 players, all ten teams took decisive steps to upgrade their squads. From record-breaking acquisitions to savvy deals, here's a team-by-team breakdown of all ten team's auction results.

The recent IPL Mega Auction altered team dynamics, injecting each club with new talent and strategy. Assessing the power of these reconfigured teams requires a careful assessment of their acquisitions, retained players, and potential synergy. That being said, here is a ranking list of all ten franchises' based on their retentions, acquisitions, and overall team structure following the 2025 IPL Mega Auction. 

1. Gujarat Titans

The Gujarat Titans kept their key players and made strategic acquisitions, including Jos Buttler and Mohammed Siraj. Their roster currently appears balanced, with depth in both batting and bowling. GT has a deep batting lineup, but its probable top three - Gill, Buttler, and Sai Sudharsan - are all long-inning batters. Along that, they have support in the form of Glenn Philps, Washington Sundar, and Sherfane Rutherford.

Another strong point for the Titans is their spinners department, which is led by Afghani star Rashid Khan and will feature emerging domestic players. Overall, the 2022 winners have maintained an optimal balance of young Indian and international stars across all departments. 

Gujarat Titans 2025 IPL Squad: Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, Shahrukh Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Jos Buttler, Mohammed Siraj, Kagiso Rabada, Prasidh Krishna, Washington Sundar, Sherfane Rutherford, Gerald Coetzee, Glenn Phillips, Sai Kishore, Mahipal Lomror, Karim Janat, Gurnoor Brar, Arshad Khan, Jayant Yadav, Ishant Sharma, Kumar Kushagra, Nishant Sindhu, Manav Suthar, Anuj Rawat, Kulwant Khejroliya.

2. Mumbai Indians

Mumbai Indians kept their Indian superstars, including Naman Dhir, through the Right to Match (RTM) card. Through the auction, they acquired Deepak Chahar and Karn Sharma, both of whom have league experience. Trent Boult and Mitchell Santner are previous IPL champions, while Jacks is a highly sought-after T20 power batter.

In addition, no one can forget Will Jacks' outstanding performance in the previous edition for RCB, which will help them strengthen their middle-order unit and could be a potential death-over hitter, making them one of the strongest teams in the forthcoming edition. Again, their combination of youth and experience makes them severe candidates for their sixth IPL title. 

Mumbai Indians 2025 IPL Squad: Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Suryakumar Yadav, Rohit Sharma, Tilak Varma, Trent Boult, Deepak Chahar, Naman Dhir, Will Jacks, Allah Ghazanfar, Mitchell Santner, Ryan Rickelton, Reece Topley, Robin Minz, Karn Sharma, Bevon Jacobs, Ashwani Kumar, Krishnan Shrijith, Arjun Tendulkar, Lizaad Williams, Vignesh Puthur.

3. Punjab Kings

Punjab's rebuilt appearance appears menacing, with a new coach (Ricky Ponting) and captain (almost definitely Shreyas). They have five Indian bowlers: Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, Harpreet Brar, Kuldeep Sen, and Vijaykumar Vyshak, and they also have a handful of all-rounders.

Alternatively, they might choose between Lockie Ferguson and Josh Inglis. Their Indian batters - Shreyas Iyer, Shashank Singh, Prabhsimran Singh, and Nehal Wadhera- add diversity to their intriguing batting attack. With a significant restructuring, it is no surprise for the team to be a dark horse in the forthcoming tournament. 

Punjab Kings 2025 IPL Squad: Shashank Singh, Prabhsimran Singh, Arshdeep Singh, Shreyas Iyer, Yuzvendra Chahal, Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, Nehal Wadhera, Harpreet Brar, Vishnu Vinod, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Yash Thakur, Marco Jansen, Josh Inglis, Lockie Ferguson, Azmatullah Omarzai, Harnoor Pannu, Kuldeep Sen, Priyansh Arya, Aaron Hardie, Musheer Khan, Suryansh Shedge, Xavier Bartlett, Pyla Avinash, Pravin Dubey.

4. Chennai Super Kings

As is frequently the case, Chennai Super Kings emerged from the IPL 2025 auction as one of the tournament's strongest teams. A group of spinners, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, and Noor Ahmed, supported by Gopal, represent the probable circumstances in Chepauk. It remains to be seen if they will take advantage of Jamie Overton's power-hitting ability. But not to forget, they have Devon Conway, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Rahul Tripathi and their legendary ubiquitous campaigner, MS Dhoni.

Still, they already have all-rounders in Sam Curran, Vijay Shankar, and Deepak Hooda. Also, they have a strong pace unit in Matheesha Pathirana, Khaleel Ahmed, Mukesh Choudhary, and Anshul Kamboj. 

Chennai Super Kings 2025 IPL Squad: Ravindra Jadeja, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Matheesha Pathirana, Shivam Dube, MS Dhoni, Noor Ahmad, R Ashwin, Devon Conway, Khaleel Ahmed, Rachin Ravindra, Rahul Tripathi, Anshul Kamboj, Sam Curran, Gurjapneet Singh, Nathan Ellis, Deepak Hooda, Jamie Overton, Vijay Shankar, Vansh Bedi, Shreyas Gopal, C Andre Siddarth, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Shaik Rasheed, Mukesh Choudhary, Kamlesh Nagarkoti.

5. Sunrisers Hyderabad

Sunrisers Hyderabad have a powerful top five and a first-choice bowling attack with a lot of pedigree, but the link between the two is likely untested. Their backup overseas players, Kamindu Mendis, Brydon Carse, and Eshan Malinga, have never played in the IPL but have shown potential in recent cricket performances. Though they have ended up as runners-up in the previous edition, the team is determined to scalp their second-ever coveted IPL trophy.

The Cummins-led team has created a new bowling assault that includes the skipper, Mohammed Shami, Harshal Patel, Rahul Chahar, Jaydev Unadkat, and Simarjeet Singh, among others, implying that the other nine franchises will face a dangerous bowling attack.  

Sunrisers Hyderabad 2025 IPL Squad: Heinrich Klaasen, Pat Cummins, Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Ishan Kishan, Jaydev Unadkat, Mohammed Shami, Harshal Patel, Rahul Chahar, Abhinav Manohar, Adam Zampa, Simarjeet Singh, Eshan Malinga, Brydon Carse, Sachin Baby, Kamindu Mendis, Zeeshan Ansari, Aniket Verma, Atharva Taide.

See Also: IPL 2025: Top 5 Steal Deals from the 2025 IPL Mega Auction

6. Royal Challengers Bengaluru

Royal Challengers Bengaluru parted ways with their reliable batters Will Jacks, Maxwell, and du Plessis, but they filled the voids with Salt, Livingstone, and David. Hazlewood, Bhuvneshwar, and Yash Dayal are possibly the most lethal new-ball pairing. While Jitesh, Krunal Pandya, Jacob Bethell, and Romario Shepherd constitute an explosive middle-order quartet, each plays a secondary role.

Overall, this appears to be one of the more hazardous sides. Meanwhile, the bowling lineup seems complete, with Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal, Krunal Pandya, and Rasikh Dar. Overall, while the squad appears poised to compete for the title, RCB might have built a far better foundation, given the available funds.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru 2025 IPL Squad: Virat Kohli, Rajit Patidar, Yash Dayal, Josh Hazlewood, Phil Salt, Jitesh Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Tim David, Liam Livingstone, Rasikh Salam, Krunal Pandya, Suyash Sharma, Jacob Bethell, Devdutt Padikkal, Nuwan Thushara, Lungi Ngidi, Romario Shepherd, Swapnil Singh, Swastik Chikara, Manoj Bhandage, Abhinandan Singh, Lungi Ngidi, Mohit Rathee

7. Delhi Capitals

The Delhi Capitals have assembled a good team. They utilised the RTM card to repurchase Jake Fraser-McGurk in the auction and paid INR 14 crore for KL Rahul. The pair is expected to start the innings with Harry Brook at number three, Tristan Stubbs at four, and Abishek Porel at five. Mitchell Starc and T Natarajan can wreak havoc, while Kuldeep Yadav can handle spin.

Mukesh Kumar or Mohit Sharma will lead their number XI, resulting in a lethal bowling unit. They do, however, lack some mid-order experience. It's hardly unexpected if Faf du Plessis is picked over Harry Brook, who has a poor IPL record. But, overall, it is a decent arsenal to check for.

Delhi Capitals 2025 IPL Squad: Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Tristan Stubbs, Abishek Porel, KL Rahul, Mitchell Starc, T Natarajan, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Mukesh Kumar, Harry Brook, Ashutosh Sharma, Mohit Sharma, Faf du Plessis, Sameer Rizvi, Dushmantha Chameera, Donavan Ferreira, Vipraj Nigam, Manvanth Kumar, Darshan Nalkande, Ajay Mandal, Tripurana Vijay, Madhav Tiwari.

8. Lucknow Supergiants

Lucknow Super Giants had a stunning auction if only the batting unit is considered. Getting Rishabh Pant, David Miller, Mitchell Marsh and Aiden Markram in a single auction is a terrific business, especially when the franchise already had Nicholas Pooran and Ayush Badoni in the mix.

They retained Ravi Bishnoi, Mayank Yadav and Mohsin Khan, which was a great call and signed Avesh Khan, Akash Deep, M Siddharth, Shahbaz Ahmed and Shamar Joseph, among others. It looks like a good core, but they needed an overseas and experienced fast bowler to complete it and could potentially hinder them.

Lucknow Supergiants 2025 IPL Squad: Nicholas Pooran, Mayank Yadav, Ravi Bishnoi, Ayush Badoni, Mohsin Khan, Rishabh Pant, Avesh Khan, David Miller, Shahbaz Ahmed, Abdul Samad, Akash Deep, Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, Matthew Breetzke, Shamar Joseph, M Siddharth, Himmat Singh, Arshin Kulkarni, Digvesh Singh, Prince Yadav, Yuvraj Chaudhary, Akash Singh, Rajvardhan Hangargekar, Aryan Juyal.

9. Kolkata Knight Riders

The Kolkata Knight Riders have retained Rinku Singh, Sunil Narine, Varun Chakravarthy, Andre Russell, Harshit Rana, and Ramandeep Singh ahead of the IPL 2025 mega-auction. Half of their work was done before the auction since all of these players were proven match-winners who had done an excellent job for the franchise.

KKR busted the bank by buying Venkatesh Iyer for a staggering INR 23.75 crore. He turned out to be the third most expensive player in the mega-auction and the most expensive all-rounder ever being brought in the IPL history. To get him, the team had to let go of several of its top players from the previous season. They have signed veteran players, but their performance in the shorter format may put the franchise in jeopardy. 

Kolkata Knight Riders 2025 IPL Squad: Rinku Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Harshit Rana, Ramandeep Singh, Venkatesh Iyer, Anrich Nortje, Quinton de Kock, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Spencer Johnson, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Moeen Ali, Vaibhav Arora, Rovman Powell, Ajinkya Rahane, Umran Malik, Manish Pandey, Anukul Roy, Luvnith Sisodia, Mayank Markande.

10. Rajasthan Royals

Rajasthan Royals retained Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, and Sandeep Sharma ahead of the IPL 2025 mega-auction. Despite losing Jos Buttler, the batting unit appeared rock-solid. Though Shimron Hetmyer is the sole foreign batter, RR's batting is explosive. They needed great T20 all-rounders in the last cycle, which Hasaranga will have to replace.

With Nitish Rana and Riyan Parag doing their work with the bat, they will most likely bowl more than they have before. The absence of a veteran Indian bowler may be a problem. The team appears bleak and mediocre, with no appropriate backup for key players. They overspent on retentions and missed the trick at the auction table. 

Rajasthan Royals 2025 IPL Squad: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson, Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag, Shimron Hetmyer, Sandeep Sharma, Jofra Archer, Wanindu Hasaranga, Tushar Deshpande, Maheesh Theekshana, Nitish Rana, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Kwena Maphaka, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Akash Madhwal, Shubham Dubey, Yudhvir Singh, Kumar Kartikeya, Kunal Rathore, Ashok Sharma.

Indian Pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar joined his former team Royal Challenger Bengaluru. RCB bought him for the whopping amount of 10.75 Crores. The veteran caused the bidding war between Lucknow Supergiants and Mumbai Indians but in the end, Royal Challengers Bengaluru was able to sign him.

The pacer has 181 wickets in 176 matches with an average of 27.23. Veteran has won Purple Back back-to-back seasons in IPL 2016 & 2017. It would be a homecoming for Bhuvneshwar Kumar as he started his IPL journey with the same team in 2009.

Stealth with moves like a panther, Bhuvneshwar Kumar is #NowAChallenger. 🥶

Are you ready to witness Poetry in Motion? 😍 #PlayBold #ನಮ್ಮRCB #IPLAuction #BidForBold #IPL2025 pic.twitter.com/VEtsd6P9R9

— Royal Challengers Bengaluru (@RCBTweets) November 25, 2024

Bhuvneshwar Kumar and his IPL Journey

The Pacer was part of Royal Challengers Bengaluru earlier in the 2009 and 2010 season. He moved to Pune Warriors India from 2011 to 2013. As Pune Warriors India got dissolved, Sunrisers Hyderabad bought him in 2014 for 4.25 Crores. Pacer was part of the Sunrisers Hyderabad team for 10 years. Bhuvneshwar Kumar was monumental in their 2016 IPL winning campaign as he scalped 23 wickets with an average of 21.30 and won Purple Cap in 2016. He won the purple cap again in the 2017 season, scalping 26 wickets with an average of just 14.19.

Just like the fans, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) are desperate to end their long wait for the IPL trophy success in the forthcoming seasons. 

RCB retained three players, two capped and one uncapped, and officially deducted INR 37 crore before the mega auction. So, they have started the mega auction with the remaining purse of INR 83 crore.

RCB spend more than INR 10 crores for two overseas players Josh Hazlewood and Phil Salt. Meanwhile, Jitesh Sharma and Bhvuneshwar Kumar are the two other cricketers to earn more than INR 10 crore bids from the RCB. They also have Liam Livingstone, Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Lungi Ngidi, Nuwan Thusara, etc. RCB used only one RTM for the uncapped Indian spinner Swapnil Singh. Former RCB player Devdutt Padikkal has returned to the squad. 

SEE ALSO: IPL 2025: Top 5 Most Overpriced Players from the 2025 IPL Mega Auction

Pre Auction Retentions

(Capped)

Virat Kohli (Indian): INR 21 Crore

Rajat Patidar (Indian): INR 11 Crore

(Uncapped)

Yash Dayal (Indian): INR 5 Crore

Right-to-Match (RTM) card availability for the mega auction

3 capped players or 2 capped + 1 uncapped players

Mega Auction Buys

Josh Hazlewood (Australian): Base price INR 2 crore – Bid won INR 12.50 crore

Phil Salt (English): Base price INR 2 crore – Bid won INR 11.50 crore

JItesh Sharma (Indian): Base price INR 1 crore – Bid won INR 11 crore

Bhuvneshwar Kumar (Indian): Base price INR 2 crore – Bid won INR 10.75 crore

Liam Livingstone (English): Base price INR 2 crore – Bid won INR 8.75 crore   

Rasikh Salam (Indian): Base price INR 30 lakh – Bid won INR 6 crore

Krunal Pandya (Indian): Base price INR 2 crore – Bid won INR 5.75 crore

Tim David (Australian): Base price INR 2 crore – Bid won INR 3 crore

Suyash Sharma (Indian): Base price INR 30 lakh – Bid won INR 2.60 crore

Jacob Bethell (English): Base price INR 1.25 crore – Bid won INR 2.60 crore

Devdutt Padikkal (Indian): Base price INR 2 crore – Bid won INR 2 crore

Nuwan Thushara (Sri Lankan): Base price INR 75 lakh – Bid won INR 1.60 crore

Romario Shepherd (Guyanese): Base price INR 1.50 crore – Bid won INR 1.50 crore

Lungi Ngidi (South African): Base price INR 1 crore – Bid won INR 1 crore

RTM Swapnil Singh (Indian): Base price INR 30 lakh – Bid won INR 50 lakh

Abhinandan Singh (Indian): Base price INR 30 lakh – Bid won INR 30 lakh

Swastik Chikara (Indian): Base price INR 30 lakh – Bid won INR 30 lakh

Mohit Rathee (Indian): Base price INR 30 lakh – Bid won INR 30 lakh

Manoj Bhandage (Indian): Base price INR 30 lakh – Bid won INR 30 lakh

Full Squad

Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Yash Dayal, Liam Livingstone, Phil Salt, Jitesh Sharma, Josh Hazlewood, Rasikh Dar, Suyash Sharma, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Swapnil Singh, Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Nuwan Thushara, Manoj Bhandage, Jacob Bethell, Devdutt Padikkal, Swastik Chhikara, Lungi Ngidi, Abhinandan Singh, Mohit Rathee

Best Playing XI

Phil Salt, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar, Jitesh Sharma, Liam Livingstone, Tim David/Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Lungi Ngidi/Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal

The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) is one of the most popular IPL franchises. The franchise has been a part of the IPL since its inception, having competed in all 17 seasons of the lucrative competition. However, it is currently awaiting its first title. Before the IPL 2025 major auctions, which are expected to occur later this month, RCB retained three players: Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, and Yash Dayal.

RCB will have three Right To Match (RTM) cards available in the mega auctions, and the franchise owners are hoping to bring back as many players as possible. The squad has had a great 2024 season and wants to convert their maiden IPL title with a significant team restructuring from the Mega Auction, as they have the potential to acquire top players from the under-the-hammer roster. Here are the five top-player recommendations for the side to target in the forthcoming 2025 IPL Mega Auction. 

KL Rahul

KL Rahul will be one of the targets of the loyal fanbase-backed squad in the IPL 2025 Mega Auction for apparent reasons. Rahul had a fantastic IPL 2016 with RCB. However, he missed the 2017 season due to injuries and was released before the 2018 Mega Auction. He later played for the Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings) and Lucknow Super Giants, but he could return to his home franchise, which has only kept three players, including a colossal purchasing purse.

Rahul has always been liked by the RCB faithful, partly because he is from Bengaluru, and the team is in dire need of a reliable wicketkeeper batter. Fans should anticipate that RCB will bid quite expensively for Rahul in the blockbuster auction. In the 2024 edition, he has made a commendable 520 runs in 14 matches with four half-centuries.

Mitchell Starc

RCB has historically struggled with a reliable bowling attack, which has been overlooked by their dynamic batting lineup, and Mitchell Starc can help address that gap. Starc's ability to perform in high-pressure circumstances and his previous stint with RCB in 2015 suggest he might be the missing piece in RCB's quest for their first IPL victory. His expertise and talent in T20 cricket make him an excellent choice to command their bowling unit.

In IPL 2024, as the most expensive player in the tournament ever, Starc demonstrated his brilliance by collecting crucial wickets and maintaining an exceptional economy rate during playoffs, further cementing his worth to a club needing bowling consistency. In his triumphant 2024 campaign with the Kolkata Knight Riders, he has taken 17 wickets in 14 matches. 

Will Jacks

Will Jacks, another major player for RCB in the 2024 season, had a massive influence after replacing Maxwell in the playing XI. Jack's ability to dominate pacers and spinners and his helpful spin bowling may urge RCB to utilise their RTM to keep him. With his swashbuckling style, he can restore the team's batting glory days, as they have the opportunity to win their first title through a restructure in the upcoming Mega Auction.

In eight matches, the 25-year-old English all-rounder scored 230 runs at a fantastic 175.57 strike rate, including a spectacular 41-ball century against the Gujarat Titans.

Also Read: IPL 2025: 5 players Mumbai Indians should target for in the upcoming IPL Mega Auction

Mohammed Siraj

Mohammed Siraj, who has been at RCB since 2018, was also included on the list of players revealed ahead of the mega auction. Siraj grabbed 15 wickets in 14 IPL 2024 matches while maintaining a solid economy rate of 9.19 economy. But as they say, every player has a rough patch in their sporting stint; Siraj will be desperate to come back with a bang through the fierce and intense 2025 IPL.

He is well-known for his ability to take wickets with the new ball, but his recent improvements at death bowling make him an invaluable asset. RCB may use their RTM option to bring him back, as they need a reliable Indian pacer who can spearhead the team's bowling attack and align with its goals by being aware of the Indian conditions. 

Rachin Ravindran

Rachin Ravindra, the all-rounder from New Zealand, is one of cricket's hottest prospects, making him a priority target for several prominent teams in the forthcoming IPL 2025 big auction. He had a terrific time with CSK throughout the 2024 IPL season, but now that they have opted not to put him on the retention list, RCB might consider him a top-order alternative to Virat Kohli.

Ravindra has the talent and skill to adjust to varied circumstances with the bat and ball, which should serve him well regardless of where he ends up in the next edition. Though he had a mediocre debut IPL sit-in with the Chennai Super Kings by scoring just 222 runs in ten games, his awareness of the Indian conditions would act as the major USP for the team to acquire his services. 

Three times IPL runners-up Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have announced their retention on the retention deadline. 

Four out of the last five seasons, including the IPL 2024, RCB reached the playoffs but couldn’t reach the final. They finished as the runners-up in 2009, 2011, and 2016 after losing the finals against Deccan Chargers, Chennai Super Kings, and Sunrisers Hyderabad, respectively. 

RCB also participated in the now-defunct Champions League T20 three times, where they reached the semi-finals in the 2010 edition and finished as the runners-up in the 2011 edition. 

Although RCB were eliminated from the Eliminator at the IPL 2024, it was one of their great seasons. At the end of their eighth match of the season, RCB won only one and had two points. From that hopeless situation, RCB made a remarkable comeback in the tournament by winning all their last six league-stage games and qualified for the Eliminator in an inspiring way. 

South African cricketer Faf du Plessis has been leading RCB since IPL 2022. Only in three matches during the IPL 2023, Virat Kohli led the RCB when Faf played as the impact player. 

Royal Challengers Bengaluru player retention

RCB retained three players for INR 37 crore. They retained two capped players and one uncapped player. RCB will start the mega auction with INR 83 crore. 

(Capped)

Virat Kohli (Indian): INR 21 Crore

Rajat Patidar (Indian): INR 11 Crore

(Uncapped)

Yash Dayal (Indian): INR 5 Crore

Right-to-Match (RTM) card availability for the mega auction

3 capped players or 2 capped + 1 uncapped players

Just a week after retiring from the Indian Premier League (IPL), Dinesh Karthik officially called time for his entire cricket career. In an emotional post on social media, Karthik confirmed his retirement, saying, “I put my playing days behind me.”

His final professional game was the IPL 2024 eliminator match against Rajasthan Royals, a poignant end to a storied career. As the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) players went around the stadium thanking fans, Karthik received a heartfelt embrace from Virat Kohli and a guard of honour from his teammates, marking a touching farewell.

See Also: Know everything about India’s 2024 T20 World Cup warm-up match

Decision to Retire from All Forms of Cricket

In his social media post, Karthik reflected on his decision to retire and expressed gratitude for the love and support he received. He acknowledged the role of fans, teammates, coaches, and his family in his journey. Karthik mentioned that while he had the physical ability to continue playing, he was not mentally ready to extend his career further.

Karthik also extended a huge vote of thanks to his supporters during the long journey.

“I’d like to thank all my coaches, captains, selectors, teammates and members of the support staff who have made this long journey pleasant and enjoyable. Among the millions that play the sport in our country, I consider myself among the lucky few to have had the chance to represent the nation, and luckier still to have earned the goodwill of so many fans and friends.

“My parents have been pillars of strength and support over all these years, and I wouldn’t be what I am without their blessings. I also owe plenty to Dipika (Pallikal), herself a professional sportsperson who often put her career on hold to walk my journey with me.

“Of course, to all the fans and followers of our great game, a massive thank you! Cricket and cricketers wouldn’t be the same without your support and good wishes.”

Early Career and Rise to Prominence

Dinesh Karthik’s cricket journey began in domestic cricket, where his talent quickly shone through. Making his international debut in 2004, he initially struggled to cement his place in the Indian team. However, his perseverance paid off, and he soon became known for his agility behind the stumps and his versatility with the bat.

International Career Highlights

Karthik’s international career is studded with key performances, particularly in One Day Internationals (ODIs) and T20 Internationals (T20Is). His memorable innings, including match-winning knocks in crucial games, have left an indelible mark. Karthik played pivotal roles in several ICC tournaments, contributing to India’s successes on numerous occasions.

Role in Indian Premier League (IPL)

Overall, Karthik represented six IPL teams. Starting with Daredevils (2008-14), he moved to Kings XI Punjab (now Punjab Kings – 2011), Mumbai Indians (2012-13), Gujarat Lions (2016-17), Kolkata Knight Riders (2018-21) and RCB (2015, 2022-present). Overall in 256 matches, Karthik has scored 4816 runs at an average of nearly 26, striking at over 135 with 22 half centuries. As a keeper, Karthik is second on list behind Dhoni in overall dismissals (172) as well as stumpings (36).

An established captain in Tamil Nadu, his state in domestic cricket, Karthik has also led in the IPL – on six occasions as a stand-in skipper at Daredevils, and 37 times between 2018 and 2020 at KKR before he stepped down. Overall, his captaincy record reads: 21 wins, 21 losses and one tied match.

The IPL 2024 Farewell

Karthik’s final IPL game against Rajasthan Royals was a momentous occasion. As he took off his gloves and acknowledged the fans, an emotional scene unfolded. Virat Kohli’s embrace and the guard of honour from his teammates highlighted the respect and admiration he garnered over the years. The fans’ applause and the team’s tribute underscored the impact he had on and off the field.

The Emotional Farewell Ceremony

The farewell ceremony for Karthik was a fitting tribute to his illustrious career. The RCB players and fans joined in celebrating his achievements, creating a memorable and emotional send-off. The guard of honour and the fans’ enthusiastic participation underscored the respect and admiration he commanded.

Post-Retirement Plans

Looking ahead, Karthik has expressed interest in exploring various roles within cricket, including administration and commentary. His experience and insights make him a valuable potential coach or mentor, capable of guiding the next generation of cricketers.