Royal Challengers Bengaluru will be hoping that the 18th season of the Indian Premier League would prove to be the charm for them as they eye their maiden IPL title. Rajat Patidar has been appointed as the captain of RCB for current season
Prior to a spectacular comeback that saw them win six straight games and secure the playoff birth by defeating Chennai Super Kings in the NRR, Royal Challengers Bengaluru appeared destined for an early elimination in the previous edition after losing seven of their first eight games. They succumbed to the Rajasthan Royals in the Eliminator, ending their incredible run, and they are still vying for their first IPL championship. They have made a lot of changes to the squad this season and will be expecting for a change in fortunes.
Here we look at five players who can be match winners for RCB in IPL 2025:
1. Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli is the leading run-getter in the history of IPL with more than 8000 runs. He also won the orange cap in IPL 2024 and played a huge role in RCB finishing in the Top 4 of the group stage. Virat showed a great improvement in his strike rate last edition where he was striking at 154 compared to his overall IPL career strike rate of 131. He also won the orange cap in IPL 2024.
Virat Kohli looked in great form in the Champions Trophy and will be one of the most important players for RCB in IPL 2025. He will complement well in a lineup filled with aggressive players and will be keen to contribute to the success of RCB as they are still looking to win their maiden IPL title. Virat is probably one of the few players in this RCB lineup who can anchor innings and also accelerate when needed which makes him the best candidate to be a match-winner for RCB in IPL 2025.
2. Yash Dayal
Yash Dayal was retained ahead of Siraj for RCB and that shows how far he has come in the previous season in terms of being a strike bowler. He picked up 15 wickets in 14 matches in IPL 2024 and went at an economy of less than 9.2 which is good considering there were plenty of high-scoring games in the previous edition.
He can swing the new ball and provide early wickets for RCB and in the last year has developed plenty of variations that will hold him good for the death overs. His performances will determine the fortunes of RCB in a big way and given his improvement in the last year he could be one of those players who can have great success this year.
3. Phil Salt
Phil Salt played a huge role for KKR in the previous edition where he helped his side lift the title. He was the standout with the bat scoring 435 runs in 12 matches at a stunning strike rate of 182. He has a good record in the T20I format for England and has enjoyed success at the top of the order in various franchise leagues in the last few years.
Phil Salt will fit into the top seamlessly and will once again enjoy the small boundaries at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. He is a natural stroke maker and will get value for his shots at that venue. Considering most stadiums in India are good for batting, he will be a key player for the RCB side and could prove to be a match-winner in this edition of the IPL.
4. Liam Livingstone
Liam Livingstone is arguably one of the most powerful batters in this RCB lineup. He will certainly enjoy batting at the Chinnaswamy Stadium and look to impact games with his batting. He scored just 111 runs in seven matches in the previous edition but that was more due to the constant changing of his position in the lineup. RCB are more likely to use him in a better fashion with the bat and the conditions at home will suit his style of batting.
Additionally, he offers both off-spin and leg-spin options to the side. RCB squad does not have a lot of spinners and this indicates that Livingstone may get a good workload in bowling and his bowling has improved a lot in the last year. He will be one of the key players for RCB this season and he provides a great balance to the side with both bat and ball.
5. Rajat Patidar
Rajat Patidar, the newly appointed RCB captain for this edition will also be one of the key players in the middle order for the team. His ability to play spin and score at a high strike rate has been visible in the last few editions. Rajat Patidar joined RCB in IPL 2022 as a replacement for the injured Luvnith Sisodia for the price of INR 20 Lakh. The 28-year-old was impressive scoring 355 runs at a strike rate of 155 and an average of more than 50 in IPL 2022.
Rajat continued his fine form in IPL 2024 where he amassed 395 runs at an average of 30 and a strike rate of 177 which included five half-centuries as well. He smashed 33 sixes and 21 fours in the last season and will be one of the players who has the potential to turn around the fortunes for RCB not only as a skipper but also as a batter.
India
