Bengaluru, Nov 23 (IANS) Still to win a title in the league, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) are gearing up to make some strategic moves at the two-day Mega Auction for Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Sunday and Monday.

Armed with detailed insights into domestic cricket, analysis of players who can leverage Chinnaswamy’s unique playing conditions, and backed with multiple scenarios that can enhance their bowling depth and bring an edge to their campaign, the RCB aims to strive for excellence in IPL 2025 starting with success at the auction.

"In the last week or so, I’ve woken up from sleep with a player or a number in my head. Every morning, I find myself thinking about how the team’s structure should look. My perspective on how I would be picked—based on who would want me—is so different now that I’m sitting on the other side. The jeopardy involved makes the auction such an interesting and unpredictable place," said batting coach Dinesh Karthik who until last year was part of RCB as one of their key players.

Ahead of the auction, RCB retained three key players: Virat Kohli (INR 21 Cn), Rajat Patidar (INR 11 Cn), and Yash Dayal (INR 5 Cn). The combined INR 37 Cr retention reflects RCB’s strategic approach of combining seasoned leadership, promising talent, and dynamic team synergy.

"We paired our auction preparation with a camp, dedicating two long back-to-back days to evaluate local talent,"* said Mo Bobat, RCB’s Director of Cricket. "Given Chinnaswamy’s distinctive characteristics, we strongly believe variety in the bowling attack is essential. With Yash Dayal retained, our focus will be on complementing our attack with players who can excel in these conditions while also addressing other key roles at the auction," he added.

Having retained three players, RCB will head into the IPL 2025 mega auction with INR 83 crore in the bank and three Right to Match cards, which can be exercised on either three capped or one uncapped and two capped players. Furthermore, RCB will have 22 slots available in the auction, from which eight are reserved for overseas players.