Why RCB might fumble from here and miss the IPL 2025 title again

Published - 22 May 2025, 16:29 IST | Updated - 22 May 2025, 17:06 IST

The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have officially qualified for the playoffs of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 after a strong performance throughout the season. The franchise has won all their away matches by displaying an all-around performance in every department.

The openers Virat Kohli, Phil Salt and Jacob Bethell consistently gave the team flying starts, while the middle order batters Krunal Pandya, Tim David, Jitesh Sharma, and Romario Shepherd gave power-hitting in the death overs. In the bowling department, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood led the pace attack and were well-supported by Yash Dayal and the left-arm spinner Krunal Pandya.

The major concern is the potential unavailability of key overseas players for the upcoming fixtures. The Australian pacer Hazlewood may miss the remaining matches due to a shoulder niggle and has been included in Australia’s squad for the World Test Championship (WTC) Final which begins on June 11. The absence of the right-arm pacer would be a big blow to RCB’s bowling unit.

IPL 2025: Playoffs-bound RCB replace Bethell with Seifert

Similarly, Lungi Ngidi might also depart to represent South Africa in the WTC Final. In the batting department, Jacob Bethell is expected to leave to join England's squad for their ODI and T20I series against the West Indies.

Although Phil Salt will remain available even if RCB reach the final, since he is only part of England’s ODI squad for the series, which will begin on June 6. Romario Shepherd might leave as well if he is selected for the West Indies squad. These absences could leave RCB with limited overseas options and force them to rely heavily on their Indian contingent.

RCB have signed Tim Seifert and Blessing Muzarabani as temporary replacements and brought in Mayank Agarwal to replace the injured Devdutt Padikkal. But, it remains to be seen whether these changes will be enough to maintain their momentum through the playoff stages. RCB has yet to play a match after the rearranged schedule,e with their first clash against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) was washed out due to persistent rains.

The Bengaluru-based franchise should find the right mix of players before the knockout stage. Then, they might struggle to find the rhythm and miss another chance to touch the prestigious trophy.