Best RCB Playing 11 for IPL 2025

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have assembled a strong squad for IPL 2025. After retaining only three players, the Bengaluru-based outfit has completely overhauled its squad.

The three-time finalists have bought a number of big names in the recently concluded IPL 2025 mega auction. They have been bolstered by the addition of players such as Phil Salt, Devdutt Padikkal, Liam Livingstone, Tim David, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and others.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru will be looking to make the most of their strong squad and end their long wait for a maiden IPL title. So as they look to win the title next season, we are taking a look at the RCB Playing 11 for IPL 2025.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru squad:

Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Yash Dayal, Liam Livingstone, Phil Salt, Jitesh Sharma, Josh Hazlewood, Rasikh Dar, Suyash Sharma, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Swapnil Singh, Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Nuwan Thushara, Manoj Bhandage, Jacob Bethell, Devdutt Padikkal, Swastik Chhikara, Lungi Ngidi, Abhinandan Singh, Mohit Rathee.

RCB Playing 11 for IPL 2025:

Openers: Phil Salt, Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli and Phil Salt are set to be Royal Challengers Bengaluru's new opening partner for IPL 2025. Salt had opened the innings for Kolkata Knight Riders last season and will be looking to start his new journey on a good note. With 435 runs from 12 games, Salt was KKR's second-highest run-scorer last year.

Kohli, on the other hand, finished IPL 2024 as the highest run-scorer. While no other batsman could even reach the 600-run mark, he had scored 741 runs in 15 games including a century and five half-centuries. Kohli will be desperate to lay his hands on the IPL trophy and will be looking to lead his team's charge with the bat once again.

Middle-order batsmen and allrounders: Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar, Liam Livingstone, Tim David, Krunal Pandya

Devdutt Padikkal will be looking to celebrate his return to Royal Challengers Bengaluru with a good season. The left-handed batsman played for the franchise in 2020 and 2021 and had impressed with the bat in both seasons. He scored more than 400 runs in each of those two seasons and has not reached 400 runs in a season since leaving RCB.

Rajat Patidar was one of the biggest reasons behind RCB's late resurgence in IPL 2024 and will look to come up with another memorable campaign. In IPL 2024, he had scored 395 runs including five fifties. A good performance in the IPL will also strengthen his chances of a recall from the Indian team.

In Liam Livingstone and Tim David, RCB have got two batsmen who can change the course of any game in a matter of balls.

Both Livingstone and David did not have the best of outings in the IPL last year and they will be looking to bounce back/ Krunal Pandya is also likely to be a regular in the RCB playing eleven. Krunal is more than a handy lower-order batter and he will be looking to prove his worth once again.

Bowlers: Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yash Dayal, Josh Hazlewood/Nuwan Thushara, Swapnil Singh/Suyash Sharma

The Bengaluru-based outfit is likely to play with three frontline pacers and one spinner. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Yash Dayal are likely to be the Indian pacers in the team.

The team will have to pick one between Josh Hazlewood and Nuwan Thushara as another pacer while the likes of Swapnil Singh and Suyash Sharma will be vying for the spinner's spot.