The eagerly awaited IPL 2025 Mega Auction is started in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, at the prestigious Abady Al-Johar Arena. This event is historic as it marks only the second time an IPL auction is being held outside India, with last year's auction taking place in Dubai.

With 577 players up for grabs, the auction promises to be a thrilling spectacle as franchises compete to strengthen their squads for the next three years.

The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) are heading into the 2025 IPL Mega Auction with ₹83 crore in their budget, the second-largest purse after the Punjab Kings. With this substantial amount, RCB is poised to make significant moves.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB):

• Head Coach: Andy Flower
• Chairman: Prathmesh Mishra
• Director of Cricket: Mo Bobat

RCB has made headlines by retaining Virat Kohli for ₹21 crore, making him the first Indian player to surpass the ₹20 crore mark in IPL history. There are also rumors that Kohli might be appointed as the captain from the next season. Additionally, the franchise has retained Rajat Patidar for ₹11 crore and uncapped player Yash Dayal for ₹4 crore.

As one of the most watched teams, RCB aims to build a squad capable of ending their 17-year IPL trophy drought. With only three players retained, they have ₹83 crore left in their purse to make strategic buys at the auction.

List Of Players Retained By RCB:

Virat Kohli- Rs 21 cr

Rajat Patidar- Rs 11 Cr

Yash Dayal- Rs 4 Cr

List Of Players Bought By RCB In IPL 2025 Mega Auction:

1. Liam Livingstone- Rs 8.75 Cr

England's Liam Livingstone was signed by RCB for Rs. 8.75 crore during the Indian Premier League 2025 mega auction in Jeddah on Sunday. The bidding war for the England star began with Royal Challengers Bengaluru, followed by Sunrisers Hyderabad. Delhi Capitals and Chennai Super Kings also entered the fray, but ultimately, Royal Challengers Bengaluru emerged victorious.

Liam Livingstone has entered the IPL 2025 mega auction with a base price of ₹2 crore. Livingstone's IPL journey began in 2019 with the Rajasthan Royals, where he played for two seasons, scoring 112 runs. In the 2022 mega auction, he was picked up by the Punjab Kings. His first season with Punjab was impressive, as he scored 437 runs, including four fifties, and took six wickets. However, his performance dipped in the following seasons, with scores of 279 and 111 runs. Despite his success in T20 leagues worldwide, Livingstone has yet to fully meet expectations in the IPL. He will be looking to change that in the 2025 season with RCB.

2. Phil Salt- Rs 11.50 Cr

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have acquired Phil Salt for ₹11.50 crore at the IPL 2025 mega auction. The bidding started with Mumbai Indians, but RCB soon joined in, engaging in a fierce bidding war with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) before ultimately securing Salt.

Salt's IPL journey began in 2023 with Delhi Capitals, where he scored 218 runs at a strike rate of over 160 in his debut season. Despite his impressive performance, Delhi Capitals released him. In the 2024 season, playing for KKR, Salt excelled by scoring 435 runs in 12 games, including four half-centuries.

3. Jitesh Sharma- Rs 11 Cr

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have signed Jitesh Sharma for ₹11 crore at the IPL 2025 mega auction. RCB initially made the highest bid at ₹7 crore, prompting Punjab Kings to consider using their Right to Match (RTM) option. However, Punjab Kings decided not to match the bid after RCB raised the price to ₹11 crore.

Jitesh Sharma earned his first IPL contract in the 2022 mega auction when he was signed by Punjab Kings. In his debut season, he played 12 games and scored 234 runs at a strike rate of 164. In the 2023 season, he played all 14 games for Punjab Kings, scoring 309 runs at a strike rate of over 155. In the 2024 IPL season, Jitesh scored 187 runs and even captained Punjab Kings in their final game of the season.

4. Josh Hazlewood- Rs 12.50 Cr

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have acquired Josh Hazlewood for ₹12.50 crore at the IPL mega auction. Despite strong bids from Lucknow Super Giants, Kolkata Knight Riders, and Mumbai Indians, RCB emerged victorious.

Hazlewood's IPL career has been impressive since it began in 2020 with Chennai Super Kings, where he played three matches. His standout season was in 2022 with RCB, where he took 20 wickets in 12 matches at an average of 18.85.

Known for their struggles with a modest bowling attack, RCB made a significant investment in Hazlewood, making him their biggest signing of the day at ₹12.50 crore. He is expected to lead their pace attack in the upcoming IPL season.

5. Rasikh Dar- Rs 6 Cr

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have signed Rasikh Salam for ₹6 crore at the IPL 2025 mega auction. RCB initiated the bidding, followed by Sunrisers Hyderabad. However, Sunrisers Hyderabad withdrew when RCB raised the bid to ₹2 crore. Delhi Capitals then used their Right to Match (RTM) option, but RCB increased their bid to ₹6 crore, which Delhi Capitals chose not to match.

Rasikh Salam gained fame when he secured his first IPL contract at just 17 years old, being signed by Mumbai Indians in December 2018. He became only the third cricketer from Jammu and Kashmir to earn an IPL contract.

6. Suyash Sharma- Rs 2.60 Cr

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have signed Suyash Sharma for ₹2.60 crore at the IPL 2025 mega auction. The bidding started with Delhi Capitals, followed by interest from both RCB and Mumbai Indians. After several bids, RCB emerged victorious.

Suyash Sharma's IPL journey began in 2023 with Kolkata Knight Riders, where he played 11 matches and took 11 wickets in his debut season. Shortly after, he made his List A debut for Delhi, though he has yet to play a first-class match for his state team. In List A cricket, Suyash has taken 10 wickets in 4 games.

7. Krunal Pandya- Rs 5.75 Cr

Royal Challengers Bengaluru secured Krunal Pandya for INR 5.75 crore in the IPL 2025 mega auction, outbidding the Rajasthan Royals, who withdrew after their bid reached INR 4.80 crore.

Krunal made his IPL debut with the Mumbai Indians, scoring 237 runs and taking 6 wickets in his first season. The following year, he contributed 243 runs and 10 wickets, playing a key role in Mumbai's title win. He remained with Mumbai until 2021, winning three IPL titles during his tenure. In the 2022 mega auction, Krunal was picked up by Lucknow Super Giants. Over three seasons with Lucknow, he amassed over 400 runs and took 25 wickets.

8. Bhuvneshwar Kumar- Rs 10.75 Cr

Bhuvneshwar Kumar was acquired by Royal Challengers Bengaluru for Rs 10.75 crore at the IPL mega auction in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Despite being Sunrisers Hyderabad's all-time leading wicket-taker, he was released ahead of this year's mega auction. Now, he returns to Royal Challengers Bengaluru, bringing his experience and skill to the team.

Kumar's IPL journey began with Royal Challengers Bengaluru in 2009, but he didn't get a chance to play during his two seasons there. He then moved to the now-defunct Pune Warriors, where he had three unremarkable seasons. His career took a positive turn in 2014 when he joined Sunrisers Hyderabad. He consistently took over 18 wickets in each of his first four seasons and won the Purple Cap in 2016 and 2017. He was instrumental in Sunrisers' maiden IPL title win in 2016.

Virat Kohli

RCB Full Squad For IPL 2025