Royal challengers of bungalows (RCB) will try to start their campaign at IPL 2025 in a strong note as they will face king champions Calcutta Riders (Kkr). The mouth collision is scheduled to play in Eden Gardens in Calcutta on Saturday (March 22).
RCB will be willing to start their campaign strongly and avoid the kind of situation in the last season. They were on the verge of hitting out at the IPL 2024 championship stage after they lost seven of their first eight matches.
However, they organized a remarkable recovery and won six games in a row to reach the playoffs. Their dream ended with a defeat against Rajasthan Royals in The Eliminator.
For IPL 2025, Bengaluru’s royal challengers have called Rajat Patidar as their new captain after the release of FAF du Plessis. They will hope that their new captain will eventually lead them to glory.
So, as RCB leads for the tournament opener, we take a look at the RCB that plays 11 for their game against KKR.
RCB Playing 11 vs. KKR-IPL 2025, Race 1:
Open: Virat Kohli, Phil Salt (WK)
With FAF DU PLESSIS is no longer part of the royal challenged Bengaluru camp, the franchise is going to have a new combination of opening for IPL 2025. Phil Salt is likely to replace Du Plessis on RCB playing 11 this season. Salt threw his trade for KKR last season and played a key role in the team’s triumphant campaign.
He has a good knowledge of conditions in the Eden gardens and will try to make the most of. The right Batsman had scored 435 runs in 12 games at a strike over 180 last season.
Working with salt at the top of the order is none other than the Virat Kohli superstar. With the royal challengers Bengaluru desperate to win their first Trophy IPL, the weight will be on the upper Batsman to hand over the bat for once again. Kohli had a special season with the bat last year, where he finished the tournament as the highest scorer.
At a time when no other Batsman could even reach the mark 600, Kohli had scored 741 runs over 150 strikes. He will try to enjoy yet another productive season with the Bangalore -based franchise.
Middle -class Batsmen and Allrounders: Rajat Patidar (C), Devdutt Padikkal, Liam Livingstone, Tim David, Krunal Pandya
RCB has formed a terrible middle class for IPL 2025 and will hope that players are in expectations. The weight will be on the newly elected Captain Rajat Patidar to lead the team from the front.
Patidar impressed one and all with his hit especially against the spinning last year and will look to deliver once again.
He had scored 395 runs last season at a strike of nearly 180. Basilica Basilica Bengaluru has also rewritten Devdutt Padikkal and will hope that the local boy is rediscovering his Mojo and enjoying a good season with the bat. He played for RCB in 2020 and 2021 and scored over 400 runs in both seasons.
The All-Rounders and the finals on RCB play 11 are expected to be Liam Livingstone, Tim David and Krunal Pandya. All three players can change the course of the game and will be willing to start their RCB trip to a good note.
Livingstone has played 39 IPL games so far and scored 939 strikes at a strike of 160, including six half centuries. He has received 11 wickets as well as with part -time bowling.
David, on the other hand, could only hit any team away on his day. He played for the Mumbai Indians last season. Krunal can deliver bats with a bat and ball. An experienced Allrounder, Krunal, has played 127 IPL matches so far, scoring 1647 runs in addition to receiving 76 wickets.
Bowlers: Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal, Suyash Sharma
The bowling series has always been the weak link for the royal challengers Bengaluru, but the franchise managed to form a strong composition for this season. They have added several proven fighters to their team and will hope that players are in expectations.
Experienced Pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar is about to drive the attack with Josh Hazlewood and Yash Dayal as the other fast bowlers. On the other hand, Suyash Sharma is expected to be the only RCB protagonist playing 11 with Livingstone and Krunal being the other bowling options.
