The first hint that IPL 2025 could end up being a very different one for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) came way before the tournament started: at the auction table in November 2024. Let us rewind to understand the journey that has seen RCB become the first team to qualify for the IPL 2025 final.
The IPL 2025 mega-auction was special. It was the first time since perhaps 2008 that there were so many high-profile Indian players available: Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ishan Kishan.
You generally do not find a clutch of players of this profile all in one auction, for the simple reason that franchises tend to hold on to them. But by 2024-25, Indian cricket had reached a stage of such burgeoning riches that almost all franchises already had filled the quota of players they could retain, while a few they did not want to retain, which led to the riches in the 2025 mega-auction.
No ghost of past auctions
In previous years, RCB had often gone the extra mile to acquire the big-name players. The ghost of RCB’s past would have almost certainly got at least one of those coming under the hammer in 2025. But they got none.
They bid – but only to a certain point. RCB had set price bands for players, and they were going to stick to those. They were not going to be swayed by the name under the hammer. They were looking at skillsets.
The highest bid they made for Rishabh Pant was ₹11 crore. They could not even enter the bidding for Shreyas Iyer, because by the time Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) had finished duking it out, Shreyas had crossed ₹10 crore.
The highest they bid for Arshdeep Singh was ₹10.50 crore—the same as for KL Rahul.
Ishan Kishan came later, and they did not enter. In the marquee set, their highest bid was for Yuzvendra Chahal, at ₹14.25 crore.
Ironically, failing to secure Chahal is what led to their only beyond-the-band bidding, when they went as high as ₹23.50 crore for Venkatesh Iyer. They had budgeted the same band for Venkatesh as the others, but having failed to secure Chahal early in the auction, RCB knew that their second-choice leggie – Suyash Sharma – could be acquired for around ₹2-3 crore. That meant the money they had kept aside for Chahal was surplus, which is why they went as high as they did for Venkatesh.
Balance more than stars
Look at the most expensive players RCB eventually bought: Josh Hazlewood for ₹12.50 crore, Philip Salt for 11.50 crore, Jitesh Sharma for ₹11 crore, Bhuvneshwar Kumar for ₹10.75 crore. Four high-quality players, and only ₹46.75 crore spent.
Earlier versions of RCB would have had one of the superstars, only one of the above four, and two others of lesser pedigree for this amount of money. This is why RCB had always been lopsided.
Thanks to their disciplined approach in 2025, they came out looking like something they had not in a long time: balanced.
As with every team at every auction, they also got some quality players at reduced prices because they came up later, when everyone’s budgets were depleted. Having already built a very stable core, they could add Tim David, Romaria Shepherd, Krunal Pandya and others, and suddenly, RCB had a squad with depth, variety, different skill sets and pedigreed players.
The execution
Having a good auction is hugely significant, but it is still only half the battle. Form is a fickle mistress. You can do a lot of things right at the table, only for everything to be upended on the field. It is to the entire squad’s credit that this did not happen with RCB. In their stunning campaign so far, they have had nine different players get Man of the Match awards. They haven’t had a small subset of players towering over the rest. Everyone has contributed.
After his miraculous 85* off 33 against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), Jitesh Sharma made it a point to thank each and every one of the RCB squad. Not just the playing XI or those on the bench, but coaches, throwdown specialists, logistics people. It was the mark of the man’s character that he remembered the humblest who helped him when he could have just basked in his hour of glory. It was also the mark of a united side.
Quite simply, the RCB that has taken the field in IPL 2025 is sharply different from any of the past RCB sides. That difference has already taken them one step away from an 18-year-old dream. Whether they are able to take the final step or not, the transformation augurs well for the future.
