Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) are heading into the 18th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) hoping this will finally be the year they clinch the title. Even though they’ve made it to the finals three times, the trophy has always slipped through their fingers. Recently, Adam Gilchrist, a former IPL winner and legendary Australian wicketkeeper, joked that RCB might end up at the bottom of the table in IPL 2025. His reasoning? He thinks the squad has too many English players.
Gilchrist shared his thoughts while co-hosting the Club Prairie Fire podcast with former England captain Michael Vaughan. He joked about RCB’s roster, saying, I think there’s a fair chance they finish last, just too many Englishmen in there. He made sure to clarify that it wasn’t directed at celebrities like Virat Kohli or their fans, but warned them to check in with their recruiting agents.
It’s worth noting that Gilchrist was the first captain to take down RCB in an IPL final back in 2009 when he led the Deccan Chargers to victory. This season, RCB has invested quite a bit in their English players during the IPL 2025 mega auction. They’ve got three English stars in their lineup, all of whom could be in the starting XI. Their biggest purchase was wicketkeeper-batter Phil Salt, who joined the team for Rs 11.5 crore after a strong performance for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). They also brought in Liam Livingstone for INR 8.75 crore and Jacob Bethell for INR 2.6 crore.
On the flip side, Vaughan is predicting that the Delhi Capitals (DC) might finish last this season, too, criticizing their lack of strong Indian batters. He pointed out that apart from KL Rahul, the team could struggle on the pitches.
Interestingly, both RCB and DC have been in every IPL season so far but have not managed to secure the trophy. RCB is set to kick off their season against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Saturday, March 22.
