Virat Kohli the reason behind RCB's insecurity at IPL auction!! Secrets Revealed..

Published - 27 Nov 2024, 01:46 PM | Updated - 27 Nov 2024, 11:37 PM

Hugh Edmeades and Virat Kohl for RCB
Hugh Edmeades and Virat Kohli {PC:X}

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) entered the IPL 2025 mega auction with high hopes and a substantial purse after retaining key players Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, and Yash Dayal.

However, their overall performance at the mega auction was solid, but Aakash Chopra was not happy with the fact that they missed opportunities to sign marquee Indian batters.

The Royal Challengers Bangalore franchise opted for a cautious approach, avoiding aggressive bidding for high-profile Indian stars like KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer, and Ishan Kishan at the IPL 2025 mega auction in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Aakash Chopra rips into Royal Challengers Bangalore's IPL 2025 Mega Auction decisions

This decision has sparked widespread debates among the cricket fraternity, with many questioning whether Royal Challengers Bangalore did enough to strengthen their squad for the 2025 season, especially given the huge purse of INR 82.25 crore they had going into the mega auction.

Read Also: IPL 2025: Revealed - How Virat Kohli blocked RCB from acquiring KL Rahul, Rishabh Pant at auction

Well, Royal Challengers Bangalore showed initial interest in KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant but backed out early in the bidding wars at the IPL 2025 mega auction. They stopped running after Rishabh Pant at INR 11 crore, who eventually set the record as the costliest player in IPL history after being sold for INR 27 crore to Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at the auction.

Similarly, Royal Challengers Bangalore withdrew from the race for KL Rahul at INR 10.5 crore, with the Indian wicketkeeper-batter heading to Delhi Capitals (DC) for INR 14 crore. What baffled Aakash Chopra further was RCB’s lack of interest in other elite Indian batters like Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan.

Aakash Chopra slams Royal Challengers Bangalore for missing out on Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ishan Kishan

However, Royal Challengers Bangalore eventually added Devdutt Padikkal to their roster during the accelerated round. However, Padikkal is a talented player and was part of the Royal Challengers Bangalore, but the franchise could have added Shreyas Iyer or Ishan Kishan, having enough in the purse.

Now, the former Indian opener has openly questioned the Royal Challengers Bangalore'S auction tactics. Chopra noted that this year’s auction presented a rare opportunity to secure marquee Indian players, but Royal Challengers Bangalore slipped the golden chance, slamming the team for the poor use of their resources at the mega auction.

Read Also: Rishabh Pant to be treated like KL Rahul at LSG? Sanjiv Goenka himself responds

After the IPL 2025 auction, the cricket pundit took to the X handle to point out RCB’s consistent reluctance to pick high-profile Indian batters except for Virat Kohli. This year, with four big names available—Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, and Ishan Kishan—and a healthy purse, RCB had the chance to finally add some star power to their batting line-up, but they slipped the chance.

RCB does not want to change ever: Aakash Chopra

Aakash Chopra posted on X: One thing #RCB does not want to change ever: no high-profile Indian batter in the team except Virat. Often you can’t get any in the auction, and that’s understandable… but this time they had 4 options to choose from. Pant, Shreyas Iyer, KLR, and Ishan. And had the money to buy 1. But they didn’t. #IPL2025”

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