3 RCB players who are not in form heading into IPL 2025 ft. Liam Livingstone

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will begin their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 campaign against defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Saturday, March 22, in Kolkata. The two teams will face off in the opening clash of the upcoming season.

RCB finished fourth on the points table after the league stage last year and sneaked into the playoffs by virtue of their net run-rate. However, they lost the Eliminator and failed to progress ahead.

They are among the teams who have never won the IPL, despite playing three finals so far. Ahead of the new season, they made some key additions to their side in the mega auctions in an attempt to strengthen their squad and lay their hands on the trophy.

However, among some of the big names in their squad this year, there are some players who are not in great form coming into the IPL 2025 season. That said, let us take a look at three such players.

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3 RCB players who are not in form heading into IPL 2025

#3 Romario Shepherd

Guyana Amazon Warriors v Victoria - ExxonMobil Guyana Global Super League T20 - Source: Getty

West Indies all-rounder Romario Shepherd was acquired by RCB at the mega auction for ₹1.50 crore. He is a fast-bowling all-rounder who is known for his hard-hitting and finishing abilities.

Shepherd would be a perfect fit in conditions such as those at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. However, ahead of the IPL 2025 season, his form has not been so promising.

In his last 10 T20 games, all in the ILT20, Shepherd scored just 110 runs with the bat and picked up just three wickets with the ball. While he has a strike-rate of 148.52 in T20s, his recent form could be a bit of a concern.

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#2 Phil Salt

South Africa v England - ICC Champions Trophy 2025 - Source: Getty

English wicketkeeper-batter Phil Salt is another explosive and hard hitter. Salt was a part of KKR's team that won the IPL last year and also played a key role with the bat. He was bought by RCB for ₹11.50 crore at the mega auction.

Salt, despite his reputation, has not been in good touch coming into the cash-rich league. In the recent ODI series against India in India, he scored just 92 runs from three games. The right-hander failed to score in the five-match T20I series as well with just 87 runs.

Moreover, he scored only 30 runs from three games in the recently concluded Champions Trophy. As Salt is expected to open the batting with Virat Kohli for RCB, the team will want him to return to form.

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#1 Liam Livingstone

Net Sessions - ICC Champions Trophy 2025 - Source: Getty

England all-rounder Liam Livingstone is another crucial player for RCB who has not been in great form ahead of the upcoming season. Livingstone was acquired for ₹8.75 crore at the mega auction.

In the T20I series against India, Livingstone scored just 74 runs from five games and picked up only one wicket from four innings with the ball. Even in the ODI series, he scored just 55 runs from three matches and grabbed just one wicket.

Further, Livingstone's poor run continued in the Champions Trophy as well. He scored only 33 runs from three matches and took only three wickets in the entire tournament.