The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) must think and act cleverly when it comes to retention options ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 mega auction if they hope to end their IPL title drought soon in the upcoming season. Last season, RCB made it to the playoffs thanks to a dramatic second-half comeback. Indian star batter Virat Kohli yet again proved to be the main player for RCB and won the Orange Cap, scoring 741 runs in 15 matches. Despite this, other RCB batters were inconsistent and failed to produce impressive performances.
Last season, just three RCB batters—Kohli, Faf du Plessis (438), and Rajat Patidar (395)—played well to breach the 350-run mark. In addition, RCB’s bowlers failed to perform well as a unit, and they were frequently troubled by the absence of a reliable spinner.
The BCCI has not yet disclosed the total number of players to be retained, but every franchise has begun deliberating about how to make the difficult decisions. Former India opener Aakash Chopra has hinted that the Proteas great Du Plessis may be released by the RCB because it would be a risky choice to keep the 40-year-old batter for another three seasons.
This is always a very interesting question. The 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 on his YouTube channel. 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 expressed.
The 46-year-old commentator added that RCB could go for Patidar if the BCCI allows more than three retaining options. He sternly advised the franchise not to retain Glenn Maxwell and instead go for Will Jacks, who smashed a scintillating ton last season.
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. 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. It depends on how many people you get a chance to retain, Chopra asserted.
In response to a fan query, Chopra admitted that Rohit Sharma’s IPL career at Mumbai Indians (MI) is over. Will he stay or will he go? It’s a big question. I feel he will not stay. Whoever is retained will be thinking that he will remain with you for three years, unless your name is MS Dhoni. MS Dhoni and Chennai Super Kings’ story is very different, but Rohit Sharma at MI, I feel he might himself leave or MI might leave him, he said.
