Royal Challengers Bengaluru have a strong squad for IPL 2025, but they might still be concerned about a few areas.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) were among the most consistent teams in the previous cycle, qualifying for playoffs twice in three editions. However, RCB still had a few loopholes in their squad and the team management worked on those areas in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 auction.
They were among the smartest teams in the auction. RCB didn’t go for big-name players and bought ones who fit their plans. They had specific players in mind for each role and nailed them perfectly in the auction.
The squad looks seriously threatening and will compete hard in the upcoming cycle. It will all depend on whether players perform on the field now.
Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Yash Dayal, Liam Livingstone, Phil Salt, Jitesh Sharma, Josh Hazlewood, Rasikh Salam Dar, Suyash Sharma, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Swapnil Singh, Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Nuwan Thushara, Manoj Bhandage, Jacob Bethell, Devdutt Padikkal, Swastik Chikara, Mohit Rathee, Lungi Ngidi, Abhinandan Singh.
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Royal Challengers Bengaluru have a strong squad for IPL 2025, but they might still be concerned about a few areas. They must find solutions in a few departments ahead of the next season.
While RCB have several options in the batting department, they might still fret over their No.3 for the next season. The two main players for this role are: Devdutt Padikkal and Jacob Bethell, but there are certain problems with both.
Devdutt has obvious weaknesses against high pace and his numbers against spin have also been abysmal lately. Since 2023, he has had a strike rate of 104.39 against spin and 125.92 against pace, which is unideal for someone expected to be aggressive right from the start.
At No.3 in the IPL, he has 236 runs at an average of 21.45 and a strike rate of 128.26, suggesting he hasn’t cracked this position yet. So, this move can backfire massively, as happened with Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) last season.
Meanwhile, Jacob Bethell has a huge reputation but has blown hot and cold in T20 leagues and international cricket. His stint with Melbourne Renegades in BBL 2024/25 wasn’t fruitful and the bowling quality will be superior in IPL.
Further, RCB must bench Tim David to accommodate Bethell, which will weaken the lower-order batting and leave too much pressure on Indian players. So, there are certain drawbacks to Bethell’s inclusion for RCB.
The main names in RCB’s spin department are Suyash Sharma, Krunal Pandya, Liam Livingstone, and Swapnil Singh. While they all bring skillsets and quality, they are not genuine match-winners on their own, someone who brings regular wickets in the middle overs.
Krunal is among the finest defensive spinners in the league, while Livingstone can bowl useful off-breaks and leg-breaks according to the requirement. Swapnil is another quality defensive spinner who can bowl immaculate lines and lengths but can’t be trusted to bring wickets.
That leaves the onus on Suyash Sharma, who is a solid option but is inexperienced and can be put under pressure on flat surfaces like at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. Sure, he can have a great season, but RCB can’t entrust him to lead the spin attack at this stage.
He needs someone superior to extract his full potential as he did with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) while bowling with Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy – Suyash is still far from a finished product. So, the spin department surely has a few concerns, even though the options look decent.
RCB have good powerplay options in Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Yash Dayal, as both can move the new ball and bring wickets upfront. However, the problems start in the middle and death overs.
As mentioned above, RCB don’t have a genuine wrist spinner, but they also don’t have a solid enforcer who can bowl hard lengths at a high pace. Even in death overs, the options aren’t as great and are highly vulnerable.
For instance, Bhuvenshwar’s last season didn’t go well and Dayal can also go for plenty. Josh Hazlewood doesn’t have enough control over his yorkers, while Nuwan Thushara can be wayward.
Hazlewood and Thushara are highly injury-prone and can crumble, leaving the attack more prone to leaking runs. Lungi Ngidi is another option, but his death-over credentials aren’t strong either due to his lack of control over his lengths.
He has a good off-cutter, but it might not be effective in IPL, where most surfaces are flat and won’t let his slower ones grip enough off the deck. He, like the other two overseas pacers, is also injury-prone. These are among the premium options of RCB that were purchased at a hefty price in the IPL 2025 auction.
Since Padikkal and Bethell are unreliable, RCB should simply slot their captain Rajat Patidar at No.3 and Jitesh Sharma at No.4. Patidar is easily the best spin-hitter in the team and fits ideally at No.3.
Meanwhile, Jitesh’s best might also come at No.4 since he is decent vs spin, especially leg spinners. He can be cramped against hard lengths and teams exploited it well last season, so he might not be the best of options for slog overs and should be used in the middle overs.
Meanwhile, RCB should use Josh Hazlewood to fill for spinners in the middle overs. They have Bhuvneshwar and Dayal for the powerplay overs and Hazlewood has the pace to be an enforcer as his natural lengths are also short.
So, Hazlewood is the best bet for RCB in the middle overs and he might cover for the lack of a genuine wrist spinner. Even if he doesn’t, his best role will be to crank it up and cramp batters for room.
Finally, even though he is still raw, Rasikh Dar can solve the death-over issues for RCB. He has the pace and decent control over his yorkers, which is encouraging.
He must have gained ample experience by bowling in this phase for Delhi Capitals (DC) in IPL 2024, where he did well in patches. Among all the options available, Rasikh might be the best bet to bowl in death overs based on skillsets and quality.
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