3 possible opening pairs for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in IPL 2025

PBKS vs RCB (Source -IPL/BCCI)

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 is set to begin on March 22 with the defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) taking on the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). The Men in Red have made some significant changes to their roster for the upcoming tournament which will also lead to them choosing a new opening pair.

There is a lot of firepower in the batting department for the Bengaluru franchise. Their opening pair in the last two seasons comprised Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli. Since Du Plessis has been released by the franchise, RCB will be looking for new combinations at the top. There can be quite a few options to choose from and they all can potentially be effective.

Here are the top three probable opening pairs for RCB in the upcoming tournament:

3. Phil Salt and Devdutt Padikkal

There might be a chance that the management could decide to give some confidence to Devdutt Padikkal who could not perform in the last season. Phil Salt has a high chance of being an opener for the three-time IPL finalists looking at his record in that role in the T20 format.

Salt played for KKR last season where he scored 435 runs in 12 matches and will be up against his former team in the opening game. Padikkal will be back in the RCB fold after three seasons and will want to make a comeback after last season where he could only manage to score 38 runs in seven games for the Lucknow Super Giants.

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2. Devdutt Padikkal and Virat Kohli

This could be another move from RCB which could allow Devdutt Padikkal to play a more attacking game since the legendary Virat Kohli will most likely continue with an anchoring role. Knowing that the two have also played together in the past and it would be a left-right combination could tempt the franchise to go with this pairing.

Kohli has been making a lot of runs for RCB while opening the batting, and though he has been a great player at number three as well, the franchise might still choose to let him continue to open the batting with Padikkal who will be looking to rediscover his old self.

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1. Phil Salt and Virat Kohli

This is most likely going to be the first-choice opening pair for the franchise. While Phil Salt is known for his attacking style of batting Kohli can make sure that there are no dot balls at the other end. Though it might be the first time the duo will be batting together it still looks like a strong opening pair on paper that could create nightmares for bowlers.

Also Check: 3 possible opening pairs for Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2025

Phil Salt has already established himself as a trustworthy opening batter in the shortest format of the game and is currently ranked number three in the ICC T20I rankings. Virat might have retired from T20Is but has nearly 13,000 runs in T20s and has shown that he is capable of switching from attack to defence when needed.

Disclaimer: This latest news is based on the author’s understanding, analysis, and instinct. As you review this information, consider the points mentioned and form your own conclusions.

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