Royal Challengers Bengaluru are one of the most loved teams in the history of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The team over the years have had some huge names play for them but without much success. Despite all their off-the-field popularity, RCB has yet to win the title in the 17 years of the league’s existence.
This year, Bengaluru have made some huge changes to their side. Mohammed Siraj and Faf Du Plessis are some of the biggest names to leave the team ahead of the new season. RCB retained Virat Kohli, Yash Dayal, and Rajat Patidar while buying stars names like Phil Salt, Liam Livingstone, Krunal Pandya, Josh Hazlewood, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar amongst others.
Faf Du Plessis’ departure to Delhi Capitals means that RCB has a huge hole in the top order. Virat Kohli who is favored to take back the captaincy will continue to bat at the top of the order.
Here are the 3 possible opening combinations for RCB in IPL 2025
3- Virat Kohli and Rajat Patidar

One of the most unlikeliest combinations as openers could be Virat Kohli and Rajat Patidar during the IPL 2025 season. Patidar has batted at the number 3 spot for RCB during his IPL career. The right-handed batter has opened for India in the only ODI game he played during the 2023 tour of South Africa. With his attacking game and Kohli’s ability to drop anchor, it might not be a bad idea for RCB to try this combination.
2- Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal

Young India batter Devdutt Padikkal is finally back home and he is set to play the IPL 2025 season with RCB. The left-handed batter has played most of his IPL career in the opening slot. Padikkal and Kohli helped RCB beat Rajasthan Royals by 10 wickets during the IPL 2021 season. So far Padikkal has batted 37 times as an opener and scored 1015 runs with an average of 28 and strike rate of 124 with one century and 7 fifties.
1- Virat Kohli and Phil Salt

One of the most favoured opening combinations for RCB during the IPL 2025 season will be Virat Kohli and Phil Salt. The English wicketkeeper has been a huge threat to any bowling unit. Phil Salt will relish batting at the Chinnaswamy stadium where the boundaries are short and the pitch aids the batters. The 28-year-old has batted 18 times at the top of the order and scored 619 runs with an average of 36 and strike rate of 177 with 6 fifties to his name.
Disclaimer: This exclusive news is based on the author’s insights, analysis, and intuition. While reviewing this information, consider the points discussed and form your own conclusions.
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