IPL 2025: Top 3 Players Newly Acquired Players Who Can Be Game Changers for Royal Challengers Bengaluru
It’s time for the festival of cricket in India with the eighteenth season of the Indian Premier League starting in the upcoming week. IPL 2025 will feature new squads after a mega auction that took place in December last year in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. After releasing some key players just before the auction, Royal Challengers Bengaluru acquired several star players in the mega auction. In this article, we will discuss three new players who could be big game-changers for RCB in IPL 2025.
The upcoming season of the Indian Premier League will start on 22nd March with the match between defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bengaluru. The season will span over two months, ending on 25th May with the finals at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. RCB will be playing the opening match of the season against KKR in the first away game of their schedule.
These are the top three new players who could be game-changers for Royal Challengers Bengaluru this season.
Phil Salt
The star English cricketer, better known for giving explosive starts to the innings as an opener, will be seen playing for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the upcoming 18th season of the Indian Premier League. With his style of cricket, where he tries to destroy the opponent’s bowling attack from the very first overs, he will enjoy playing at the batting-friendly venue, M Chinnaswamy Stadium. With his skills and conditions, he could be a game-changer for RCB in the upcoming IPL 2025.
Phil Salt: IPL 2025 Acquisition
Phil Salt played the last two seasons for the Kolkata Knight Riders and performed exceptionally well. However, due to the IPL 2025 Mega Auction, KKR released him before the auction that took place in December. In an intense bidding war, RCB acquired Phil Salt, the No. 2 ICC T20 batter, for ₹11.5 crore.
Phil Salt: IPL Carrer
In the 21 matches played over the last two seasons, Salt scored 653 runs with an average of 34.37 and a strike rate of 175.54. In his IPL career, he has recorded 6 half-centuries, with a high score of 89*.
The storm has landed, fierce and bright,
Making bowlers 𝗣𝗵𝗶𝗹 the heat all night! 🌪️🔥Happy #Homecoming to our fearless striker, Phil Salt! 🏡❤️🔥#PlayBold #ನಮ್ಮRCB #IPL2025 pic.twitter.com/WzuCuWVz8N
— Royal Challengers Bengaluru (@RCBTweets) March 14, 2025
Liam Livingstone
Liam Livingstone, the star batter known for his powerful six-hitting abilities, will be playing for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the 18th season of the Indian Premier League. RCB’s acquisition of Livingstone could be a game-changer for them in the upcoming season, as the all-rounder will be a key batter for the team in the middle order. RCB has a long-standing vulnerability in lacking a strong player in the lower middle order; Livingstone is the player who will anchor the team in this crucial position.
Liam Livingstone: IPL 2025 Acquisition
After playing two seasons for the Rajasthan Royals in 2019 and 2021, the Punjab Kings acquired him in the IPL 2022 auction, where he played for the team for three seasons. However, before the IPL 2025 mega auction, Punjab released him. In an intense bidding war, RCB acquired Livingstone for ₹8.75 crore.
Liam Livingstone: IPL Carrer
In the 39 matches played over five seasons, Livingstone scored 939 runs at an average of 28.45 and a strike rate of 162.46. Over the last five seasons, he scored six half-centuries, with a highest score of 94 and hitting 66 sixes in the tournament.
Liam has checked in, and we're livin' and lovin' it! ✅🤩
Happy #Homecoming, Livi! Time to blaze the guns and 𝙡𝙞𝙫 no 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙣𝙚 unturned! 👊#PlayBold #ನಮ್ಮRCB #HomeComing #IPL2025 pic.twitter.com/p9CMrC5H6c
— Royal Challengers Bengaluru (@RCBTweets) March 14, 2025
Bhuvneshwar Kumar
The third player who could be a game-changer for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the upcoming season is Bhuvneshwar Kumar. The star pacer of India, known for his swing and often referred to as the King of Swing, will be playing for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the upcoming IPL 2025. Bhuvneshwar will be a key player in fixing RCB’s bowling vulnerability, which has been a weak point in the RCB squad for a really long time. With Bhuvi’s experience and skills with both the new ball and in the death overs, he is going to benefit RCB significantly.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar: IPL 2025 Acquisition
After starting his career with RCB itself in IPL 2009, Bhuvneshwar played for Pune Warriors India (2011-2013) and for Sunrisers Hyderabad, where he spent over 10 years. He is now back in the Royal Challengers Bengaluru squad after 15 years. After an intense bidding war, RCB acquired him for a price of ₹10.75 Crore.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar: IPL Carrer
In the 176 matches played primarily over the last 14 years, Bhuvneshwar took 181 wickets at an economy of 7.56 and an average of 27.23. Throughout his long IPL career, he achieved two four-wicket hauls and two five-wicket hauls.
RCB Squad For IPL 2025
| Role | Players |
|---|---|
| Captain | Rajat Patidar |
| Batsmen | Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Liam Livingstone, Tim David, Devdutt Padikkal |
| Wicketkeeper | Jitesh Sharma |
| All-rounders | Krunal Pandya, Manoj Bhandage |
| Bowlers | Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yash Dayal, Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma, Swapnil Singh, Rasikh Salam, Mohit Rathee |
Royal Challengers Bengaluru Schedule For IPL 2025
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Time (IST) |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 22 | Kolkata Knight Riders | Eden Gardens, Kolkata | 7:30 PM |
| March 28 | Chennai Super Kings | M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai | 7:30 PM |
| April 2 | Gujarat Titans | M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru | 7:30 PM |
| April 7 | Mumbai Indians | Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai | 7:30 PM |
| April 10 | Delhi Capitals | M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru | 7:30 PM |
| April 13 | Rajasthan Royals | Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur | 7:30 PM |
| April 18 | Punjab Kings | M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru | 7:30 PM |
| April 20 | Punjab Kings | Maharaja Yadavindra Singh Stadium, Chandigarh | 7:30 PM |
| April 24 | Rajasthan Royals | M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru | 7:30 PM |
| April 27 | Delhi Capitals | Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi | 7:30 PM |
| May 3 | Chennai Super Kings | M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru | 7:30 PM |
| May 9 | Lucknow Super Giants | BRSABV Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow | 7:30 PM |
| May 13 | Sunrisers Hyderabad | M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru | 7:30 PM |
| May 17 | Kolkata Knight Riders | M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru | 7:30 PM |
