The IPL 2025 auction is becoming more exciting day by day due to changes in BCCI’s retention rules for the upcoming season. Every team management is facing challenges in selecting players as the Indian Cricket Board has announced that each participating team can retain only six players from their previous squad. The two teams most impacted by this BCCI rule are RCB and Kolkata Knight Riders, as they have chosen not to retain most of their star players for the upcoming auction. For the upcoming IPL season, RCB has opted to retain only three players—Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, and Yash Dayal. They spent only Rs 37 crore on player retention. This means they are keeping a substantial purse of INR 83 crore for the upcoming mega-auction. So Backing only three players signals their ambition to build a stronger squad for the upcoming season.

RCB has been part of the Indian Premier League since its inaugural season but has yet to secure a single trophy in 17 seasons. The primary factor contributing to their failure is the poor bowling lineup. Despite having exceptional batters, they have failed to secure a trophy because their bowlers have struggled to handle pressure situations. As a result, in the upcoming auction, they should prioritize acquiring bowlers over batsmen. According to some media reports, the Red Army could target seasoned bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who took 11 wickets for Sunrisers Hyderabad last season at an economy rate of 7.56.

Additionally, RCB can enhance their lineup by adding power hitters like Phil Salt and Jos Buttler, who can play big innings according to various batting positions. Both of them accumulated over 1,200 T20 runs in 2024, making them ideal fits. So the management can add them to their squad.

Amid speculation about KL Rahul’s release from Lucknow Super Giants, fans anticipate his return to RCB, where he began his IPL journey. RCB also eyes the chance to re-sign Yuzvendra Chahal, a former franchise star released by Rajasthan Royals. Known for his devastating spin and 139 wickets for RCB, Chahal’s return under Kohli’s captaincy could strengthen their bowling core.