Royal Challengers Bengaluru will be aiming for a fresh start and will take the first steps in the IPL 2025 mega auction. The team has seen a trophy drought since the inception of the tournament despite having a star-studded roster comprising of the likes of Ab de Villiers, Chris Gayle, Anil Kumble, Daniel Vettori and others. A revamp of the team would mean only a core group stands the chance to be retained while the rest of them will go under their hammer and their fate will be decided at the auction.
RCB retention list for IPL 2025
- Retention 1 (Rs 18 crore) – Virat Kohli
- Retention 2 (Rs 14 crore) – Mohammed Siraj
- Retention 3 (Rs 11 crore) – Akash Deep
- Retention 4 (Rs 14 crore) – Glenn Maxwell
- Retention 5 (Rs 4 crore) (uncapped) – Vyshak Vijaykumar
- RTM – Faf du Plessis
Rs 18 crore – Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli has undoubtedly been the backbone and the face of RCB for over a decade now. The former skipper, an Royal Challengers Bengaluru legend in all rights, has played 252 matches for the franchise and has amassed 8004 runs so far. And what’s best is that it isn’t over yet. Despite announcing his retirement from T20 cricket, Kohli will be RCB’s first pick when it comes to retentions without any hesitation. Out of the 140 matches that he has led the side as captain, RCB picked up 66 victories making him one of the most successful captains for the side. In addition, Virat Kohli could be handed back the captaincy in IPL 2025, given that the team is unlikely to retain Faf du Plessis.
Rs 14 crore – Glenn Maxwell and Siraj
Another RCB found gem who the franchise is surely to not part ways with is Mohammed Siraj. Since making his debut in 2013, the pacer has bagged 93 wickets so far in the IPL and has became the spearhead of their bowling attack over the last few years. His best season came in 2023 where he added 19 wickets to his name while he fell slightly short of the mark in 2024 with 15 scalps. One of India’s first-choice bowlers across all formats, Siraj is a sure shot retention for RCB.
Next player on the list who may be retained for Rs 14 crore is Glenn Maxwell. The ‘Big Show’ is arguably one of the most destrctive middle-order batter, especially for RCB. He was retained by the franchise before IPL 2022 after being bagged for Rs 14.25 crore in the player auction in 2021. The Australian has been a consistent performer for RCB with the bat and ball, barring the 2024 season when he could not breach the three-figure mark in terms of runs amassed. His best season for the team came in 2021 when he added 513 runs to his name, his second best season in IPL after scoring 552 runs in 2014 for Punjab Kings. Further, the absence of Dinesh Karthik – who retired after IPL 2024 – makes the case for RCB to retain Maxwell, who has a reputation for being a destructive finisher.
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Rs 11 cr – Akash Deep
Akash Deep has been making waves over the last few years and has made his case to be retained by RCB for IPL 2025. The pacer has been consistent with his performances in red-ball cricket and was rewarded earlier this year after recieving his maiden Test call-up for India. Akash Deep has only bagged seven wickets from the nine IPL games that he has played but will be a valuable player for RCB. While he intially joined the team in 2021 for the second leg of IPL, his services were once again accquired by RCB in 2022 for Rs 20 lakhs. Akash Deep is all but sure to get a raise in pay via a retention by RCB.
Alzarri Jospeh, Cameron Green won’t be retained
RCB is expected to let go of West Indies pacer Alzarri Joseph and Australian all-rounder Cameron Green. While the former was purchased for some big bucks in the mini-auction in 2023, Green was traded to RCB before IPL 2024. However, both Green and Joseph failed to fire in the last season, casting aspersions on their chances of being retained for IPL 2025. Additionally, Green is all set to go under the knife to recover from a back injury which is set to keep him out of action for six months. Another all-rounder who RCB will be willing to let go but keen to pick him again in the auction for a lower price could be Will Jacks, who showed some promising signs in IPL 2024.
RTM route for Faf du Plessis
One player whose chances of being retained are 50-50 at the moment is RCB skipper Faf du Plessis. Having joined the side from CSK, the South African has been consistent with the bat for the team but has failed as a captain. He took over the reins from Virat Kohli in 2022 as the team attempted to hit the reset button to end their wait for an IPL trophy. But that hasn’t materialised yet. Given that RCB won’t be willing to spend big bucks on du Plessis, RCB is likely to use the Right to Match (RTM) card if they are to accquire his services.
RCB’s current squad
Faf du Plessis, Glenn Maxwell, Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Anuj Rawat, Dinesh Karthik, Suyash Prabhudessai, Will Jacks, Mahipal Lomror, Karn Sharma, Manoj Bhandage, Mayank Dagar (from SRH), Vijaykumar Vyshak, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj, Reece Topley, Himanshu Sharma, Rajan Kumar, Cameron Green (from MI).
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