Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) strategy in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 mega auction was criticised by fans and former cricketers alike. The only player they went all out for was Venkatesh Iyer who they failed to rope in. Their most expensive buy in the auction was Australia fast bowler Josh Hazlewood for Rs 12.50 crore. More than two weeks after the bidding extravaganza, RCB have released a video of their planning and the players they meant to target to make their playing 12. All the members of the coaching staff and think tank had their list of players. One of the list is making rounds on social media.
Their retained players Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar and Yash Dayal were at one, four and 11. They wanted to get an overseas opener and decided to acquire the services of Phil Salt. They got former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) opener for Rs 11.50 crore. At no.3, they wanted Venkatesh. However, it did not go according to the plan for them with KKR engaging in an intense bidding war to get him for a whopping Rs 23.75 crore. Later, they had to settle for their former batter Devdutt Padikkal.
RCB's middle order
For the no.5 position, they had five overseas players option -- David Miller, Liam Livingstone, Tim David, Donovan Ferreira and Rovman Powell. They were managed to get Livingstone for RS 8.75 crore and David for Rs 3 crore. At no.6, they were pretty sure they wanted an Indian wicketkeeper-batter. Jitesh Sharma was on their radar and they shelled out Rs 11 crore for him after Punjab Kings (PBKS) decided to use Right to Match (RTM) card for him.
At no.7, they wanted an Indian batter. Krunal Pandya can play that role. Two other players who can be considered at no.7 are uncapped batters Swastik Chikara and Manoj Bhandage.
Pace battery sorted
At no.8, they wanted an overseas pacer in their ranks. They had several options including Kagiso Rabada, Mitchell Starc, Hazlewood, Nathan Ellis, Nuwan Thushara and a few others. They succeeded in their plans and roped in Hazlewood, Thushara. In addition, they got Lungi Ngidi and all-rounder Romario Shepherd as well.
For the Indian pacer spot, they had a few options as well. T Natarajan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Prasidh Krishna, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Shami, Rashikh Salam and one other. They succeeded in their plans and got Bhuvneshwar Kumar for Rs 10.75 crore and Salam for Rs 6 crore. They had to shell out a few extra crores for Salam as Delhi Capitals (DC) used RTM.
RCB miss out on high-profile spinners
They wanted an overseas spinner in the side as well. Three players they wanted to go for was Sri Lanka's Maheesh Theekshana, Afghanistan's Allah Ghazanfar and Noor Ahmad. They couldn't get either. The only Indian spinner listed as impact player was Yuzvendra Chahal. However, the experienced leggie was roped in by Punjab Kings (PBKS) for Rs 18 crore. Their spin options are now restricted to back-up leg-spinner Suyash Sharma, Swapnil Singh and England all-rounders Jacob Bethell, Livingstone.
