The deafening chants of “RCB, RCB” are ready to cheer up their team. Despite being trophyless, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) still holds enough support that can easily dwarf other teams’ faithful. But that support is not going to be enough. All the 11 players, making it 12 with the Impact Player rule, will have to give their all for the entire 74-match IPL 2025 season.
A fresh campaign and a new team under an entirely inexperienced captain could be a perfect opportunity. Moreover, RCB have done an overhaul of their bowling group, which has let them down in quite a few seasons. With Virat Kohli, Phil Salt and Rajat Patidar in the top three, RCB boasts a strong top order. The signings of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Krunal Pandya and a few more pacers give them a newfangled approach. Below, we see RCB’s best-playing XI for the IPL 2025.
RCB at IPL 2025: Why Virat Kohli at No. 3 & who will open?
Many expect Virat Kohli to open the innings. Since 2023, he has opened the batting for RCB in all the matches. Last year, Kohli desperately needed to fire as a starting batter as he eyed a spot at the T20 World Cup 2024 in the Americas. But now, he isn’t a T20I prospect. Hence, for the betterment of RCB, Kohli should focus on team combination. The team combination might just force him to bat at number three.
This is because RCB signed two out-and-out openers, Devdutt Padikkal and Phil Salt. While Salt’s place is a guarantee due to his blistering nature, Padikkal’s best place is at number one. The southpaw has returned to RCB after a few horrible IPL campaigns. He would love to have a comeback season to remember and a left-right combination with Salt would always help.
RCB at IPL 2025: Rajat Patidar moves to 4
Now, RCB’s number four would be Rajat Patidar. The new captain for the IPL 2025 season would be desperate to walk the talk. He has a strike rate of 187.21 while batting at that number. Patidar’s slot will be followed by power hitters. Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma, and Tim David can all swap positions and would be nightmares at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.
RCB have invested in a destructive batting setup that was often criticised for not being too deep. Now, they have Krunal Pandya batting at number eight. Pandya could be a dark horse for RCB. Not only he’s a street-smart cricketer, but the former MI all-rounder could put a stop in case of a top-order collapse. Not to forget, the elder Pandya has never had a season where his economy has gone past the 7.98 mark.
RCB at IPL 2025: Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowling spearhead
A fresh season means another new bowling unit for RCB. But if we go deeper, it isn’t massively different. Only that Bhuvneshwar Kumar has replaced Mohammed Siraj, who is now with the Gujarat Titans (GT). Picking up Bhuvi for ₹10.75 crore at the IPL 2025 auction could be a masterstroke for RCB, who have inexperience in the bowling department.
Being one of the highest wicket-taking bowlers in IPL history, Bhuvneshwar will spearhead the RCB bowling attack that also has Josh Hazlewood. The Aussie pacer has been out of action since the BGT but has joined the RCB camp. He might not be available for opening fixtures. That’s where RCB can go in with either of Nuwan Thushara or Lungi Ngidi.
Another pacer would definitely be Yash Dayal, who is one of their three retention picks. The left-arm pacer will give more options to Patidar. And now having played a season in Bengaluru, Dayal would be even more vital. With this, we have a batting first-best XI for RCB. Of course with the Impact Player rule, the Royal Challengers can bring in another bowling option. That option could be either Rasikh Salam or Suyash Sharma.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) Predicted XI for IPL 2025
- Batters
- All-rounders & Keeper
- Bowlers
- Impact Player: Suyash Sharma/Rasikh Salam (as per conditions)
RCB Squad IPL 2025
Rajat Patidar (c), Virat Kohli, Yash Dayal, Josh Hazlewood, Phil Salt, Jitesh Sharma, Liam Livingstone, Rasikh Dar, Suyash Sharma, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Swapnil Singh, Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Nuwan Thushara, Manoj Bhandage, Jacob Bethel, Devdutt Padikkal, Swastik Chhikara, Lungi Ngidi, Abhinandan Singh, Mohit Rathee.
