The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have formally qualified for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 playoffs following an impressive season. Because of their overall performance in every area, the team has won all of their road games.
While the middle order batsmen Krunal Pandya, Tim David, Jitesh Sharma, and Romario Shepherd delivered power hits in the final overs, the team was regularly given flying starts by openers Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, and Jacob Bethell. In the bowling department, Yash Dayal and left-arm spinner Krunal Pandya provided strong support for Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood, who spearheaded the speed assault.
The main worry is the possible absence of important foreign players for the forthcoming games. Due to a shoulder ailment, Australian bowler Hazlewood may miss the remaining games. He has been selected for Australia’s World Test Championship (WTC) Final, which starts on June 11. For RCB’s bowling unit, the loss of the right-arm pacer would be devastating.
Lungi Ngidi may possibly leave to play for South Africa in the WTC Final. It is anticipated that Jacob Bethell will depart to join England’s batting team for their ODI and T20I series against the West Indies.
Even if RCB makes it to the final, Phil Salt will still be available because he is only included in England’s ODI team for the series, which starts on June 6. If he is picked for the West Indies team, Romario Shepherd may also depart.
Due to these absences, RCB may have few options for travel abroad and be forced to rely largely on its Indian contingent.
In addition to bringing in Mayank Agarwal to replace the injured Devdutt Padikkal, RCB has temporarily signed Tim Seifert and Blessing Muzarabani. However, it is still unclear if these adjustments will be sufficient to keep them moving forward during the playoffs. After the schedule was changed, RCB has not yet played a game. The first match they were supposed to play against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) was cancelled because of the rain.
The Bengaluru-based team needs to assemble the ideal roster prior to the elimination phase. After that, they might have trouble keeping up and lose another opportunity to touch the coveted trophy.
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