Royal Challengers Bengaluru may be one of the three OG teams in the IPL that are yet to win a tournament (the others being Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings), but they have been serious title contenders in the last few seasons. Even in the 2024 season, the Faf-led team made one of the most inspirational comebacks ever seen in IPL, as from languishing at the bottom at the halfway mark, they emerged as one of the four teams to qualify for the playoffs.
They would want to build on the momentum in the season and go the full distance by clinching their maiden title. To do that, they need to build a strong team, and this will start at the IPL retentions.
Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli and RCB are always synonymous with one another and he is more than likely to be retained by the franchise for yet another IPL cycle. The former skipper has been part of the Bengaluru-based team since its inception and come IPL 2025, Kohli will once again be a Royal Challenger. He is the league’s highest run-getter and was the orange cap winner in the IPL 2024 edition.
Mohammad Siraj
Any IPL team would like to have an Indian pacer who is actively playing in international cricket in their ranks and RCB have one of India’s all-format fast bowlers in Mohammed Siraj. In the last two seasons alone, the pacer has snapped up 34 wickets in 28 games and has been leading the pace attack rather effectively. His presence has considerably boosted RCB’s bowling department, and the team views Siraj as an asset.
Rajat Patidar (RTM)
Another likely candidate to be retained by RCB ahead of the 2025 auctions could be the middle-order batter Rajat Patidar. The 31-year-old has shown remarkable consistency for RCB in the last 2 seasons he featured (2022 and 2024). Be it a sensational century in the IPL 2022 eliminator or playing the 2024 season with a staggering strike rate of 177, and scoring 395 runs, Patidar has been impressive. This should boost his chances of being retained or RCB could utilize the Right to Match option on him.
