3 players RCB might retain ahead of the mega-auction

Royal Challengers Bengaluru had their backs hit the wall in the last edition of the Indian Premier League. That’s when the Faf du Plessis-led side showed resilience and grit to script a comeback that the fans would remind other teams for the next few years. They qualified for the playoffs by beating Chennai Super Kings in their final league game but unfortunately, the trip ended soon after that, with them losing to Rajasthan Royals in the Eliminator. 

It's been 17 years since IPL’s inception and RCB are one of the four teams that are yet to lift the trophy. Every mega-auction year, they make the headlines for signing top marquee players but when it comes to performance on the field, they fail to live up to the expectations.

However, there’s optimism and there’s a belief like it always has been. Known to have one of the loudest fan bases in history, it is high time for the franchise to deliver on the field - the start of which, will begin in the upcoming mega auction. Ahead of that, they have a difficult job of retaining certain players and releasing others. When it comes to retention, they must make sure to cover all the departments.

Here are three players that RCB management can target:

3. Virat Kohli

You need to address the elephant first. Virat Kohli is going nowhere and will be Bengaluru’s first retention ahead of IPL 2025. The star India batter never played for any other franchise and has a very strong connection with the fans, which would only grow in the coming years. When it comes to performance, there’s no doubt about his calibre, as the 35-year-old finished as the leading run-scorer in 2024.

Kohli played 252 matches for RCB and has scored 8004 runs at a strike rate of 131.97. In 2016, the Delhi-born batter stunned the cricketing fraternity as he smashed 973 runs - which is still the most runs scored by a batter in a single edition of the competition. Apart from batting, Virat’s character is vital for RCB as well.

Despite being one of the greatest white-ball batters in history, he has never won IPL gold and would be hungry to get the job done before bidding goodbye. Being 35, he doesn’t have much time left and for the same reason, the upcoming cycle is vital for him. The team is most likely to be built around him and if he could inspire the team to push harder, RCB can dream of its maiden IPL.