The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) reached Kolkata on March 20, two days before the IPL 2025 opening clash against the defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). In fact, both the teams hit the ground running at the Eden Gardens, featuring full-strength sides. For RCB, Virat Kohli trained hard and had a decent net session against RCB bowlers. Incidentally, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who will play for the Challengers this year, beat Kohli in one of the deliveries.
Decent-looking Bhuvneshwar beats Virat Kohli
In one of the training videos, that has been shared on social media, Virat Kohli was seen battling hard in an open net session. He faced the likes of Josh Hazlewood, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and other bowlers. In the short video, Kohli first played Hazlewood as he dabbed the Aussie bowler close to his body.
However, what followed next was a bit of a surprise. The former RCB charged down the track to Bhuvi, who bowled a good-length delivery. To much of a shock to Kohli, the ball moved outwards, going past the outside edge of his willow.
RCB’s Strongest Possible XI
| Player Number | Full Name |
|---|---|
| 1 | Phil Salt |
| 2 | Devdutt Padikkal |
| 3 | Virat Kohli |
| 4 | Rajat Patidar |
| 5 | Liam Livingstone |
| 6 | Tim David |
| 7 | Jitesh Sharma |
| 8 | Krunal Pandya |
| 9 | Bhuvneshwar Kumar |
| 10 | Josh Hazlewood |
| 11 | Yash Dayal |
| 12 | Rasikh Dar/Suyash Sharma |
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.
