Virat Kohli was retained by Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 mega auction. Alongside him, RCB retained only two more players: middle order batter Rajat Patidar and uncapped Indian fast bowler Yash Dayal. This meant that Mohammad Siraj, Faf du Plessis and Glenn Maxwell are among the big names let go by RCB. All the ten franchises were asked to submit the names of their retained players by Thursday, October 31. RCB, who played under the captaincy of batter Faf du Plessis, entered the Playoffs but lost in the Eliminator match against Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2024. However, their turn-around in the season became one of the major highlights as they won six matches on the trot, to enter the Playoffs.
Kohli has been retained for Rs 21 cr, an increase of Rs 6 cr from his previous retention price.
Choosing to retain only three players — and just two capped players — has left the Royal Challengers with a lot of flexibility heading into the auction. They will enter the mega auction with three Right to Match (RTM) cards, which they can use on three capped players or two capped and one uncapped player.
Faf du Plessis — who took over captaincy of RCB from Kohli in 2022 — has been let go. Du Plessis recently captained Caribbean Premier League (CPL) franchise St. Lucia Kings to the title. St. Lucia Kings are a subsidiary of IPL team Punjab Kings.
Glenn Maxwell and Mohammad Siraj, two players retained by RCB in 2022, have been let go.
Alongside them, explosive English batter Will Jacks, Australian all-rounder Cameron Green, Indian pacers Akash Deep and Vijaykumar Vyshak, New Zealand pacer Lockie Ferguson and West Indian pacer Alzarri Joseph have been released by the franchise.
Wicket-keeper batter Dinesh Karthik retired from cricket following IPL 2024, and has joined RCB’s coaching staff.
RCB will enter the IPL 2025 mega auction with a purse of Rs Rs 83 cr, the second-highest among all franchises.
PLAYERS RETAINED:
1. Virat Kohli (Rs 21 cr)
2. Rajat Patidar (Rs 11 cr)
3. Yash Dayal (Rs 5 cr – uncapped)
AUCTION BUDGET: Rs 83 cr
RTMs available: 3
Players released: Faf du Plessis, Glenn Maxwell, Anuj Rawat, Suyash Prabhudessai, Will Jacks, Mahipal Lomror, Karn Sharma, Manoj Bhandage, Mayank Dagar, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj, Reece Topley, Himanshu Sharma, Rajan Kumar, Cameron Green, Alzarri Joseph, Lockie Ferguson, Swapnil Singh.
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