IPL 2025: Glenn Maxwell OUT as RCB's retention list comes in the spotlight

Former Indian batter Aakash Chopra opened up about Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) potential retentions for the Indian Premier League (IPL 2025).

Aakash Chopra said that he is not sure whether RCB will retain skipper Faf du Plessis for a three-year auction cycle.

RCB retained Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, and Mohammed Siraj before the IPL 2022 mega auction.

RCB purchased Faf du Plessis for Rs 7 crore during the mega auction. Du Plessis was appointed as the skipper after Virat Kohli stepped down from captaincy.

Virat Kohli Will Be One RCB Will Retain - Aakash Chopra

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra said that Virat Kohli is likely the first choice for retention for Royal Challengers Bengaluru. However, Chopra expressed uncertainty about whether the team should retain Faf du Plessis for another three years.

"This is always a very interesting question. Tough question again as to who would you want to retain. Virat Kohli will be one you will retain. Can you retain Faf for three years? That is a big question. Do you want to retain Faf for three years? Not sure," Chopra said.

Du Plessis led Royal Challengers Bengaluru to the playoffs in IPL 2024 despite a rough start. RCB lost seven of their first eight matches in this year's tournament. However, their title hopes ended as they were defeated by the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the Eliminator match.

I Will Retain Cameron Green And Mohammed Siraj - Aakash Chopra

The cricketer-turned-commentator said that RCB might consider retaining Cameron Green and Mohammed Siraj for the IPL 2025 season.

"If I get a chance I will retain Cameron Green. I will retain Mohammed Siraj because I won't get too many Indian fast bowlers in the auction if I let him go as part of the retentions," Chopra continued.

Aakash Chopra also stated that Rajat Patidar could be a potential retention if he is not too expensive. Chopra added that he would leave Glenn Maxwell after his lackluster batting performance in the previous season.

"Rajat Patidar maybe, if he can be retained slightly cheap, but that's about it. Too many names aren't there. I will release Maxi. I will say it's enough, that you are a very good player, you play very well, but it's okay. I want to look somewhere else. So I might leave Maxi," he further stated.

Glenn Maxwell had a poor performance with the bat in IPL 2024. The right-handed batter scored just 52 runs in nine innings at an average of 5.78 and a strike rate of 120.93. However, Maxwell contributed with the ball, taking six wickets at an average of 21.50 and an economy rate of 8.06.

During the same video, Chopra said that Will Jacks might be a better retention choice compared to Glenn Maxwell. He emphasized that the team needs a well-balanced squad and added that they should focus on building a strong bowling unit.

"Will Jacks is not a bad choice. You can do that. Between Will Jacks and Glenn Maxwell, Will Jacks is much better. So that's a possibility, an outside chance."

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