The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 mega auction could be the best thing to happen to the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). The Red and Gold franchise has had some of the best IPL batters in their team but has never been made to assemble a good bowling line-up. Everyone knows that bowlers win you trophies, and that’s exactly why, even after 17 seasons, RCB doesn’t have even one title.
Batting covered as always
2025 could be the year for them. There, bowling could be a force to be reckoned with. This was certainly true at Ravichandran Ashwin’s mock IPL auction. The veteran spinner has been organising his own bidding wars, simulating what teams could do in Jeddah on November 24-25. RCB had retained just three players for the IPL 2025 season: Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, and Yash Dayal.
With 22 spots to fill and the main aim of building a balanced XI, RCB turned up at the mock auction with Rs 83 crore. They assembled a strong batting contingent, adding David Warner, Will Jacks, Venkatesh Iyer, Jitesh Sharma, and Rachin Ravindra. But it was their bowling that was even more impressive.
RCB get their greatest ever bowling line-up at ‘mock’ IPL auction
They already had Dayal and got Trent Boult for Rs 13.50 crore, Deepak Chahar for Rs 5.50 crore, Mukesh Kumar for Rs 5.50 crore, Shardul Thakur for Rs 2 crore, Vijaykumar Vyshak for Rs 90 lakh, and R Sai Kishore for Rs 10 crore. Combined, the bowlers have 370 wickets to their name. Boult alone has played over 100 matches and has 121 wickets, while Mukesh, Vyshak, and Sai Kishore have played less than 20 matches and have combined taken 50 wickets.
RCB will have their powerplay covered with Boult, Dayal, and Chahar present. Thakur and Vyshak can both be used in the first six overs as well. Dayal has shown that he can do well in the death, and Mukesh really thrived at the end with the Delhi Capitals. The middle overs would be covered by Thakur, Vyshak, and Sai Kishore. If some need part-timers, you have off-spinner Will Jacks and medium pace of Venkatesh Iyer as well.
| Bowler | Matches | Wickets | Average | Economy | Strike Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trent Boult | 104 | 121 | 26.69 | 8.29 | 19.3 |
| Yash Dayal | 28 | 28 | 32.85 | 9.56 | 20.6 |
| Deepak Chahar | 81 | 77 | 28.84 | 7.98 | 21.6 |
| Mukesh Kumar | 20 | 24 | 28.91 | 10.43 | 16.6 |
| Shardul Thakur | 95 | 94 | 30.52 | 9.22 | 19.8 |
| Vijaykumar Vyshak | 11 | 13 | 30.38 | 10.25 | 17.7 |
| R Sai Kishore | 10 | 13 | 19.84 | 8.32 | 14.3 |
