IPL 2025: Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) Preview, Squad, Schedule and History
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have been one of the most followed cricket teams around the world for many reasons. They have been part of the Indian Premier League since the very first season in 2008. It has been 17 seasons, and this franchise is growing at a rapid speed.
RCB have also made the finals three times (2009, 2011, 2016) but have not cracked the code of winning the IPL trophy. That is one major area that this team has lacked, but they have a loyal fanbase. That is always behind them, despite their performances. Get the best prediction/odds during Indian Premier League 2025 on my10cric.com.
Every season, the RCB fans come with a hope, and this season will not be different. RCB will enter the 18th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2025) to end their trophy drought. They finished last season in the playoffs and will feel the need to complete the unfinished business they left to do in the IPL 2025.
IPL 2025: Royal Challengers Bengaluru Preview
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) had a roller coaster of a ride in the IPL 2024. They had a nightmare of a start and were at the bottom of the table for most of the season. RCB lost seven out of the first 8 games. But then, they found some spark and qualified for the playoffs with six consecutive wins.
That is what the RCB management talked about in the recently held Unboxing event in Bengaluru. The franchise will love to carry that momentum they had. They have assembled a great team and given the captaincy to star batter Rajat Patidar. There were a few big names that were released, including captain Faf du Plessis, Mohammed Siraj, and Glenn Maxwell.
But RCB did a pretty fair job of picking up some good players They have a good squad, and it is how they will perform on the field. RCB will kick off their campaign with a game against the defending champion Kolkata Knight Riders on March 22.
IPL 2025: Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) Coaching Staff
Head Coach: Andy Flower
Mentor and Batting Consultant: Dinesh Karthik
Bowling Coach: Omkar Salvi
Spin Bowling Coach: Malolan Rangarajan
Assistant Coach: Richard Halsall
Director of Cricket Operations: Mo Bobat
Fielding Coach: Richard Halsall
Strength and Conditioning Coach: Shanker Basu
IPL 2025: Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) Squad
There was a toss-up between Virat Kohli and Rajat Patidar for captaincy. But Virat himself didn't take the captaincy. As a result, Patidar was chosen to be the captain. The franchise made their biggest investment on the Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood for a price of INR 12.5 crore.
RCB have always gone for overseas stars, but this time, they have worked a lot to sign Indian stars Bhuvneshwar Kumar (10.5 crore), Jitesh Sharma (11 crore), and Krunal Pandya (5.75 crore) were some key names. Their retentions prior to the auction were Virat Kohli, Yash Dayal, and Rajat Patidar.
For the overseas pick, RCB managed to grab the English trio of Liam Livingstone, Phil Salt, and Jacob Bethell. With Hazlewood, the franchise also signed South African pacer Lungi Ngidi and West Indian all-rounder Romario Shepherd. They also acquired hard-hitting batter Tim David. Below, you can see the players RCB signed at the mega auction.
Signed Players: Bhuvneshwar Kumar (INR 10.75 Cr), Josh Hazlewood (INR 12.50 Cr), Liam Livingstone (INR 8.75 Cr), Phil Salt (INR 11.50 Cr), Krunal Pandya (INR 5.75 Cr), Jitesh Sharma (INR 11 Cr), Tim David (INR 3 Cr), Romario Shepherd (INR 1.50 Cr), Rasikh Dar (INR 6 Cr), Nuwan Thushara (INR 1.60 Cr), Manoj Bhandage (INR 30 lakhs), Swapnil Singh (INR 50 lakhs), Jacob Bethell (INR 2.60 Cr), Devdutt Padikkal (INR 2 Cr), Swastik Chhikara (INR 30 lakh), Lungi Ngidi (INR 1 Cr), Suyash Sharma (INR 2.60 Cr), Abhinandan Singh (INR 30 lakh), Mohit Rathee (INR 30 lakh)
Retained Players: Virat Kohli (INR 21 Cr), Rajat Patidar (INR 11 Cr), Yash Dayal (INR 5 Cr)
IPL 2025: Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) Schedule
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will play 14 group matches in the IPL 2025. They will be playing seven games at home, and their other seven matches will be away games. RCB will start their campaign when they face the defending champion Kolkata Knight Riders in the tournament's opener. The last group game for RCB is also against KKR on May 17. So, let's check out the complete schedule for RCB.
Match 1: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Mar 22, Saturday
Venue: Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Time: 7:30 PM (IST)
Match 8: Chennai Super Kings vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Mar 28, Friday
Venue: MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
Time: 7:30 PM (IST)
Match 14: Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Gujarat Titans
Apr 02, Wednesday
Venue: M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
Time: 7:30 PM (IST)
Match 21: Mumbai Indians vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Apr 07, Monday
Venue: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Time: 7:30 PM (IST)
Match 24: Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Delhi Capitals
Apr 10, Thursday
Venue: M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
Time: 7:30 PM (IST)
Match 28: Rajasthan Royals vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Apr 13, Sunday
Venue: Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur
Time: 3:30 PM (IST)
Match 34: Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Punjab Kings
Apr 18, Friday
Venue: M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
Time: 7:30 PM (IST)
Match 37: Punjab Kings vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Apr 20, Sunday
Venue: Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, Mullanpur, Chandigarh
Time: 3:30 PM (IST)
Match 42: Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Rajasthan Royals
Apr 24, Thursday
Venue: M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
Time: 7:30 PM (IST)
Match 46: Delhi Capitals vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Apr 27, Sunday
Venue: Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
Time: 7:30 PM (IST)
Match 52: Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Chennai Super Kings
May 03, Saturday
Venue: M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
Time: 7:30 PM (IST)
Match 59: Lucknow Super Giants vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru
May 09, Friday
Venue: Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow
Time: 7:30 PM (IST)
Match 64: Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Sunrisers Hyderabad
May 13, Tuesday
Venue: M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
Time: 7:30 PM (IST)
Match 68: Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Kolkata Knight Riders
May 17, Saturday
Venue: M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
Time: 7:30 PM (IST)