The recent reports suggested that RCB could look to retain the likes of Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis and Mohammad Siraj for the upcoming edition of the IPL.
The Indian Premier League is largely known for its immense legacy and rather the craze of fans for their respective teams. Alongside teams like Chennai Super Kings and the Mumbai Indians, who hold an immense fanbase as well as IPL titles, there lies a team in Royal Challengers Bangalore, RCB, who have relished a similar fanbase.
The RCB team has the second-highest fanbase in the IPL after the likes of Chennai Super Kings. However, neither of these two sides, Royal Challengers and Chennai Super Kings are known to have attained this stardom from their star cricketers Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni.
Though several big players like Gayle, ABD, and Shane Watson have starred in the RCB jersey alongside Kohli, the harsh reality seems that the team’s fanbase is mostly based on the iconic Indian cricketer.
Other than their legacy, they are also known for their big bids in the IPL, while also often retaining their crucial players to include the likes of their match-winners, having played 2-finals in 2010 and 2016.
Owing to the weak performance of the RCB players and only a few contributing to their journey into the playoffs, many of their big guns, Glenn Maxwell and Cameron Green, have not performed to the best of their capacities.
Hence, recent reports suggest that none other than Virat Kohli, skipper Faf du Plessis, and Mohammad Siraj are seemingly the retention targets in the heads of RCB management.
Three possible retentions for RCB
1. Virat Kohli: The name needs no clarification. Anyone would have predicted to see this name on the list of retained players. Virat Kohli remains the only player to have been retained throughout all seasons by the RCB.
Considerably the greatest in the format, Virat Kohli has scored more than 8000+ runs in the Indian Premier League and has left his competitors far behind in the runs tally. Following his retirement from international T20s, Kohli can now focus on adding an IPL trophy to his name before he retires.
2. Faf du Plessis: The veteran Protea batter turns 40 before IPL 2025 and has repeatedly proved that age is just a number, as the skipper recently led the St. Lucia Stars to their first-ever title triumph in the CPL.
Faf was also one of the highest run scorers both in 2024’s Major League Cricket as well as the Caribbean Premier League, where he took his team to commendable performances. He might be retained ahead for RCB once again in the mega-auction.
3. Mohammad Siraj: The reports have suggested that either Rajat Patidar, the Indian star, or Indian pace bowling sensation Mohammad Siraj might be considered for a position in the Royal Challengers Bangalore team.
Just like Patidar, who was sensational with the bat for the Royal Challengers, Siraj is undoubtedly one of their most sublime bowlers to have retained him for the upcoming edition of the IPL.
