Royal Challengers Bengaluru have a new problem to deal with ahead of IPL 2025 mega auction. Apart from the dilemma over retentions, RCB is now reportedly facing pressure from the Karnataka government over the inclusion of more local talents in the team. Currently, only two Karnataka players are a part of RCB’s squad – Vijaykumar Vyshak and Manoj Bhandage.
Karnataka government pressurizes RCB ahead of IPL 2025
A Times of India report claims that RCB is facing “considerable pressure” from the government to “go local” in IPL 2025. This means RCB would have to recruit more Karnataka players in their team. In the history of IPL, the side has never targeted local talents, leading to a dearth of players from the state in the franchise. With the Karnataka government deciding to interfere in RCB’s affairs, the team might have to change their strategy for the IPL 2025 mega auction.
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How can this affect RCB’s retention policy for IPL 2025 auction?
RCB would be forced to change their IPL 2025 auction strategy, should they succumb to the Karnataka’s government’s pressure. Firstly, it would mean that Vijaykumar Vyshak and Manoj Bhandage will be sure shot retentions ahead of IPL 2025, given that they are the only talents from the state in RCB’s squad. Additionally, RCB will be forced to hunt for more Karnataka cricketers in the auction table. While there was a rule in place earlier which stated that it was mandatory for teams to have at least one local talent in their playing XI, there is no longer such stipulation.
How Karnataka government’s move could trigger other IPL teams
The Karnataka government’s move to pressurize RCB could lead to other state governments making similar demands to their respective franchises. It is pertinent to point that majority of the IPL teams have none or very few local talents. For example, CSK has no cricketer from Tamil Nadu. Similarly, KKR has no player from West Bengal. Only Mumbai Indians have a considerable amount of players who are local.
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