November 25, 2024: Legendary Indian cricketer Kris Srikkanth didn’t mince words while criticising Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) for their early strategy during the IPL 2025 auction. Despite going after multiple players, RCB only managed to secure all-rounder Liam Livingstone for Rs 8.5 crore.
There was heavy anticipation that RCB would make a big move for KL Rahul, a wicketkeeper-batter and a former RCB player. However, Rahul ended up joining the Delhi Capitals for a whopping Rs 14 crore. Srikkanth took to X (formerly Twitter) to express his dissatisfaction with RCB’s tactics, calling them “naive” and “baffling.”
“RCB needed one really good keeper-batter, and it would have been ideal to bring back Rahul into the fold, especially at a steal of a price! The strategy they have currently is baffling and quite naive, to be frank!” Srikkanth wrote.
He further added, “As usual, RCB has missed a trick in the auctions by not going hard for @klrahul! What a steal for DC though.”
While RCB’s conservative approach drew criticism, the auction saw generational talent Rishabh Pant make history as the costliest IPL buy ever. Lucknow Super Giants shelled out a record-breaking Rs 27 crore for Pant, surpassing Shreyas Iyer, who was bought by Punjab Kings for Rs 26.75 crore.
Both Iyer and Pant have had notable comebacks. Iyer, overlooked in the BCCI central contracts earlier, led Kolkata Knight Riders to their third IPL title, while Pant defied all odds to return successfully after a life-threatening car accident in 2022.
Pant and Iyer are expected to captain their respective teams, LSG and Punjab Kings, in IPL 2025, which is set to begin on March 14. Meanwhile, RCB will have to re-evaluate their auction strategy as they seek to secure their first IPL title.