RCB's Director Mo Bobat Discusses Strategic Shift At IPL Auction 2025 For A Balanced Squad

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) is shifting its strategy from investing heavily in a few players to creating a balanced team. This change aims to build a potential title-winning squad, as explained by the franchise's Director of Cricket, Mo Bobat, after the first day of the IPL Mega Auction 2025.

During the auction in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, RCB had the second-largest budget but avoided bidding wars. They did make an exception for Venkatesh Iyer, bidding over Rs 20 Crore, though he eventually joined Kolkata Knight Riders for Rs 23.75 Crore.

The team also pursued KL Rahul but withdrew early, drawing criticism from fans and experts. Additionally, RCB chose not to use their Right to Match cards for Glenn Maxwell, Mohammed Siraj, and Vyshak Vijaykumar, who were part of last season's squad.

Reflecting on their approach after day one of the auction, Bobat shared that RCB aims to move away from their traditional strategy. "Let's be honest. RCB has never won the IPL and we've always gone with a strategy of spending a large amount of money on a small number of players. And we wanted to change that to build a more balanced squad this year," Bobat stated in an RCB video.

RCB's official account echoed this sentiment on X: "He's home where he belongs. Cannot wait to see him set the pitch ablaze at Chinnaswamy! #PlayBold #nmmRCB #IPLAuction #BidForBold #IPL2025 #JoshHazlewood."