Royal Challengers Bengaluru decided to keep Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, and Yash Dayal as part of their squad for the IPL 2024 auction. They let go of several players, including Faf du Plessis, Glenn Maxwell, Suyash Prabhudessai, Anuj Jacks, and Will Jacks. At the auction in Jeddah, RCB splurged ₹2 crores each on Aussie bowler Josh Hazlewood, English batsman Phil Salt, experienced Indian pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar, English all-rounder Liam Livingstone, Indian all-rounder Krunal Pandya, Aussie Tim David, and former player Devdutt Padikkal.

Additionally, they invested ₹1 crore each on Jitesh Sharma and Lungisani Ngidi. They also picked up Romario Shepherd for ₹1.5 crores and Jacob Bethell for ₹1.25 crores, along with other players like Swapnil Singh and Mohit Rathee.

As we head into IPL 2025, Virat Kohli is set to be RCB’s key player again, especially with Du Plessis no longer on the team. It looks like he’ll be stepping back into the captaincy role.

In IPL 2024, Kohli switched up his batting style, opting for a more aggressive approach during the powerplay instead of his usual steady game. With RCB bringing in some big hitters at the auction, fans are curious about how Kohli will fit into the batting lineup next season.

Virat Kohli's position in IPL 2025.

RCB’s Director of Cricket, Mo Bobat, talked about Kohli’s importance to the team and expressed hope that he would stick to the successful approach from last season. “Virat brings a ton of experience and top-notch skills to the table. I have faith in him to navigate the game and make the right calls. You’re spot on; last year, both Virat and Faf [du Plessis] set a great example of the aggressive mindset we needed. Virat kept scoring runs even when we weren’t getting the results we wanted at first.”

“He even took the initiative halfway through, saying, ‘Alright, I’m going to set the tone here; we can all be more aggressive.’ It was awesome to see him communicate that with the batting group and then back it up with his performance. I’m sure he’ll want to keep that momentum going. Neither Andy nor I will be sending the team out with anyone looking to play it safe.”

That’s not what we’re looking for. We aim to maximize every delivery. Players are capable of reading the game and the conditions, and Virat is no exception, he mentioned.

Last season, RCB made it to the playoffs, ending up in fourth place during the league stage. However, they faced a setback against Sanju Samson’s Rajasthan Royals in the Eliminator. Kohli played a crucial role in RCB’s journey, finishing as the Orange Cap winner by a significant margin. He scored 741 runs in 15 matches, while Ruturaj Gaikwad, who came in second, managed 583 runs.

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