3 RCB players who are in form heading into IPL 2025 ft. Krunal Pandya

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will begin their IPL 2025 campaign with a match against defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Saturday, March 22. This will also be the opening match of the 2025 edition.

RCB, who are yet to win the IPL despite having come close on a few occasions, reached the playoffs last year. They had a season of two halves - losing seven of their first eight matches and then winning six in a row. Their ‘Ee Sala Cup Namdu' dream, however, remain unfulfilled as Bengaluru went down to Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the Eliminator by four wickets.

RCB retained only three players ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction - Virat Kohli (₹21 crore), Rajat Patidar (₹11 crore) and Yash Dayal (₹5 crore). Looking at their big buys at the auction, they bought Josh Hazlewood for ₹12.50 crore, Phil Salt for ₹11.50 crore and Jitesh Sharma for ₹11 crore.

As Royal Challengers Bengaluru gear up for the IPL 2025 season, we look at three players from the franchise who have displayed good form in recent times.

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#1 Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli batting during IPL 2024 (Image Credits: Getty Images)

Kohli put behind a disastrous Test tour of Australia to play a crucial role in Team India's 2025 Champions Trophy triumph. The 36-year-old scored 218 runs in five innings at an average of 54.50 and a strike rate of 82.89.

The former India captain began his 2025 Champions Trophy campaign with a sedate 22 off 38 in the group match against Bangladesh. The RCB star followed it up with an unbeaten 100 off 111 balls against arch-rivals Pakistan. The Men in Blue were set 242 to chase down in the match and Kohli guided them home, striking seven fours in his defiant innings.

Kohli then played another crucial knock in the first semifinal against Australia. Team India were set to chase a tricky 265 in the knockout clash. The former RCB captain again anchored the chase, scoring an unbeaten 84 off 98 balls. While Kohli struck only five fours in his innings, his running between the wickets stood out. Earlier, he also contributed 52 in the third ODI against England in Ahmedabad.

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#2 Rajat Patidar

With Kohli reportedly turning down the opportunity to take the reins of RCB again, the franchise appointed Patidar as captain for the IPL 2025 season. Royal Challengers Bengaluru will have high hopes from him after he made a big impact with five half-centuries during IPL 2024, scoring his runs at a strike rate of 177.13.

The 31-year-old Madhya Pradesh batter displayed good form with the willow in domestic cricket. He scored 92 against Kerala in the Ranji Trophy Elite Group C match in Thiruvananthapuram in January. Before that, the RCB skipper slammed 132* off 137 in the Vijay Hazare Trophy match against Bengal in Hyderabad, a knock which featured eight fours and a six.

Patidar also came up with some impressive performances in the preceding Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. He was the second-leading run-getter in the T20 event, clobbering 482 runs in nine innings at an average of 61.14 and a strike rate of 186.08, with as many as five half-centuries and a best of 81*. The new RCB captain will again be a key player for the franchise in IPL 2025.

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#3 Krunal Pandya

Baroda all-rounder Krunal Pandya had an impressive run in the DY Patil T20 Cup. In five matches, he smashed 106 runs at a strike rate of 158. With his left-arm spin, the RCB cricketer also picked up seven scalps at an economy rate of 6.94. For his impressive all-round performance, the 33-year-old was picked as the Player of the Tournament.

Krunal picked up four wickets in the Ranji Trophy match against Jammu & Kashmir in Vadodara. Before that, he came up with some impactful performances in the Vijay Hazare Trophy as well. Krunal scored 256 runs in seven innings at an average of 51.20 and a strike rate of 90.78, with two half-centuries. With the ball, he claimed 11 wickets at an average of 25.18 and an economy rate of 4.62.