Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) overhauled their complete squad in the IPL 2025 auction. The franchise had retained only three players in Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, and Yash Dayal.
But in the auction, RCB have added more firepower to their squad for this season, especially in the pace department. They will have the services of experienced Bhuvaneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood alongside Dayal.
In the batting department, they have the aggressive trio of Phil Salt, Liam Livingstone, and Tim David. Then there’s Krunal Pandya, who can chip in with both bat and ball.
As RCB’s search for their first IPL title continues, here’s a look at their strongest playing XI for IPL 2025.
RCB Squad for IPL 2025:
Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar (c), Devdutt Padikkal, Swastik Chikara, Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Manoj Bhandage, Liam Livingstone, Krunal Pandya, Jacob Bethell, Swapnil Singh, Jitesh Sharma, Phil Salt, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal, Rasikh Dar, Nuwan Thushara, Lungi Ngidi, Abhinandan Singh, Suyash Sharma, Mohit Rathee
Read Also:- RCB 2025 Retained Players List
RCB Strongest Playing XI for IPL 2025
Openers: Virat Kohli, Phil Salt
After the departure of Faf du Plessis, Virat Kohli will need a new opening partner. And RCB will likely pair up Phil Salt with him.
Kohli’s trade in the IPL is well known. He is the top scorer with 8004 runs in the league, all for his beloved franchise. So he would like to add more runs to his tally this season and, hopefully, win the trophy.
Salt, on the other hand, has had a productive time in the last two seasons. He has amassed 653 runs in 21 games at an impressive strike rate of 175.53. RCB will root for him to continue his mayhem in their colours.
Middle Order: Rajat Patidar, Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma, Tim David, Krunal Pandya
RCB will have a strong middle-order lineup. Their new captain, Rajat Patidar, can walk in at No. 3 to solidify their total.
Liam Livingstone will follow him at No. 4. The England all-rounder didn’t perform well last season, but he can turn around matches with his batting and handy spin bowling.
RCB can use Jitesh Sharma as a floater. He can strike the ball hard, and Chinnaswamy’s conditions will suit him quite well. Jitesh can keep wickets also in case Salt decides not to wear the gloves.
Then, another hitter, Tim David, will follow. After Mumbai Indians didn’t retain him, RCB bought Dravid in the action. It will be homecoming for the tall Australian batter, as he played for Bengaluru once in the 2021 season.
RCB can field experienced Krunal Pandya as a spin-bowling all-rounder. He has picked up 76 wickets and scored 1647 runs in 127 matches.
Read Also: CSK Strongest Playing XI for IPL 2025
Bowlers: Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal, Suyash Sharma
After quite some time, RCB will have a strong pace attack. Bhuvneshwar Kumar will return to the franchise after close to 15 years, although he didn’t get a game back then.
Bhuvi brings in a lot of experience with him and can make a huge impact in powerplay as well as death overs. He will have a good companion in Josh Hazlewood. The Australian pacer will be back in RCB after he missed the 2024 season.
Yash Dayal, who had a remarkable outing in the last edition, will assist the two experienced pacers. In the spin department, the franchise will go with young Suyash Sharma. He can leave batters amused with his leg spin.
Impact Player: Devdutt Padikkal
RCB can use local boy Devdutt Padikkal as an impact player. He can slot in the middle order when RCB bats. Padikkal hasn’t had an impressive run in the last few seasons. So, as he returns to the franchise, he would like to get some runs under his belt.
