Former India player Aakash Chopra said that Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) are dependent on England players for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 season. Aakash Chopra raised concerns over the performances of England batters in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, which would worry RCB fans.
The Royal Challengers will take on defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the opening match at Eden Gardens on March 22. KKR dominated RCB in both league-stage encounters in the IPL 2024. They secured a seven-wicket win in Bengaluru and registered a one-run victory in Kolkata.
The RCB Fans Are Worried as to What Is Happening – Aakash Chopra
In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra said that England’s early exit from the Champions Trophy and the underwhelming performances of Phil Salt, Liam Livingstone, and Jacob Bethell are reasons for concern among RCB fans.
“Salt, Livingstone, Bethell, England – the RCB fans are worried as to what is happening. England are out (of the 2025 Champions Trophy) and would the England batters be able to save them this time? Their question is absolutely genuine. If the trio perform like this, what would happen to them?” Chopra said (0:01).
The Bengaluru team secured Liam Livingstone (₹8.75 crore), Phil Salt (₹11.50 crore), and Jacob Bethell (₹2.60 crore) at the IPL 2025 auction. Bethell missed the Champions Trophy due to a hamstring injury, while Livingstone and Salt underperformed. Salt scored 22 runs, while Livingstone managed 24 runs.
You Have Played All Your Punts on England Players – Aakash Chopra
The former India opener said that the Royal Challengers could include Tim David and Josh Hazlewood as two of their four overseas players. Chopra said that Hazlewood might be available for the IPL 2025 season.
“It begs a question that you have played all your punts on England players. You have Tim David. You can play him. No one knows anything about Josh Hazlewood’s availability as of now, although a little birdie told me that he would become available,” Chopra observed.
Josh Hazlewood and Tim David were signed for ₹12.50 crore and ₹3 crore, respectively. RCB also added Romario Shepherd (₹1.50 crore), Nuwan Thushara (₹1.60 crore), and Lungi Ngidi (₹1 crore) to their overseas roster.
His Form Went as Soon as He Was Picked – Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra hoped that Phil Salt would regain his form but added that the wicketkeeper-batter has struggled since being signed by the Royal Challengers Bengaluru. He said that Salt was in great touch for a year, including his stint with Kolkata Knight Riders, but his form suddenly dipped.
“Phil Salt – I feel, at some stage, he will start scoring runs because he scored runs continuously for one year after scoring runs for KKR. However, suddenly, now the form has disappeared. Some people say his form went as soon as he was picked by RCB,” he said (2:05) in the same video.
Phil Salt was a key player for Kolkata Knight Riders in their title-winning IPL 2024 campaign. He was their second-highest run-scorer, amassing 435 runs in 12 matches at an impressive strike rate of 182, including four half-centuries. However, KKR didn’t retain him despite his contributions.
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