With the deadline day gradually coming near, the teams are up against time to make the tough decision as regards the players they are likely to keep or shed off for the 2025 installment of the Indian Premier League (IPL) mega auction.
The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) among the most followed teams in the tournament will also make alterations in their squad to win their first ever championship. But RCB’s strategy might be tamed by a more regional strategy since it is reported that the 11 is under pressure to source for more regional players, which RCB is not known for.
As per a piece of news published in the Times of India (TOI) it says,” understand that the franchise is facing a lot of government pressure to go local in this cycle and it will not be a shock if they target players from Karnataka in the mega auction.”
While it is nearly certain that RCB will retain Virat Kohli as their 1st pick, there are doubts as to who the franchise would be keen on retaining, in relation to the other members of the squad. That said, Glenn Maxwell has been hitting the ball extremely well, and Mohammed Siraj has been rather expensive with the ball in both seasons.
In terms of homegrown cricketers, the likes of Rahul Dravid, KL Rahul and many other players from Karnataka have played for the franchise’s history but in none has been allowed to take long and find their footing.
Of this current lot, Rahul, Devdutt Padikkal, Prasidh Krishna, Manish Pandey and Vijaykumar Vyshak are some of the high-profile or experienced players from the state.
There are several players hailing from the state who are currently not playing in the domestic circuit and therefore RCB may also target some of the finer talents who participated in the Karnataka Premier League to strengthen their squad once again.
As a reconstruction is in the works, a couple of homegrown players added to the roster may be just what it takes for perhaps the team to go all the way and win the franchise’s first IPL title. For one, it is clear that RCB’s squad cohesion needs to be rectified if proper balance and structure are to be achieved.
