Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), one of the most popular franchise cricket teams worldwide, will enter the 2025 IPL season with a relatively new squad compared to the last two seasons. RCB continues its pursuit of a maiden IPL title under the leadership of Rajat Patidar. The right-handed batter played a crucial role in their IPL 2024 campaign, guiding them to the playoffs with his explosive hitting.
The auction did not retain the foreign trio of Faf du Plessis, Glenn Maxwell, and Will Jacks. Instead, they acquired a well-balanced squad with the additions of Phil Salt, Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell, and Josh Hazlewood. Over the past few seasons, RCB has consistently been plagued by injuries to their foreign players, especially bowlers and all-rounders.
Jacob Bethell, the England all-rounder purchased for INR 2.6 crores, is a great addition to the squad. He is capable of batting in the middle order and contributing with the ball. However, Bethell picked up an injury during the bilateral series against India. In a recent interview, the team management confirmed he will be fit and ready during the IPL, but his availability for the entire tournament is yet to be confirmed.
Another consistently injury-prone player is Australian premier fast bowler Josh Hazlewood. The Aussie pacer has been struggling with calf and side strain injuries. He was last seen in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, and since then, Hazlewood has not returned to competitive cricket, leaving his availability a significant question mark.
Therefore, the big question is who will replace these players if they are unavailable or pick up an injury during the season. Below, we have listed three Afghanistan players who have been in excellent form recently across T20 leagues worldwide and could be a perfect fit for the RCB squad.
Afghanistan Players Who Might Join RCB
1. Mohammad Nabi
Mohammad Nabi, often considered the father of Afghanistan cricket, is one of the most experienced Afghan players in the shortest format. Nabi has previously played for Sunrisers Hyderabad and Mumbai Indians. In his IPL career, he has scored 215 runs and taken 15 wickets in 24 matches. Although RCB has Krunal Pandya and Swapnil Singh as spin-bowling all-rounders, Nabi’s experience could be invaluable as the tournament progresses and pitches favor spinners. He can contribute with the ball, especially in the powerplay, and adds depth to the batting lineup in the lower order.
2. Naveen-ul Haq
Naveen-ul-Haq, one of Afghanistan’s standout bowlers in the 2024 T20 World Cup and Asia Cup, has taken 21 wickets in 14 international matches. He played for the Lucknow SuperGiants in IPL 2023 and 2024, picking up 25 wickets in 18 matches. The most notable performance from this young 26-year-old pacer came against Mumbai Indians in the eliminator match, where he finished with figures of 4/38. If Hazlewood is sidelined, Naveen would be an ideal replacement, as he can be economical in the death overs and lethal with the new ball, taking crucial wickets.
3. Ibrahim Zadran
Ibrahim Zadran was the fifth-highest run-scorer in the 2024 T20 World Cup, where he notched up 231 runs in 8 matches, announcing his arrival in the shortest format. Given his ability to adapt to conditions and accelerate when needed, he could serve as a backup opener to Phil Salt or be valuable in the middle order. Zadran also adds stability to RCB’s batting lineup, especially when they play away from home and in knockout games during the later half of the season, where the middle overs will be key against spinners. Zadran could be a substantial addition.
Experts predict RCB to be among the top contenders for IPL 2025, given their well-balanced squad. For fans looking to follow the latest IPL betting sites and their odds, RCB is ranked as one of the strongest teams for the upcoming season. However, if injuries hit their key overseas players, these three Afghan cricketers could be potential game-changers.
RCB IPL 2025 Squad – Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Yash Dayal, Liam Livingstone, Phil Salt, Jitesh Sharma, Josh Hazlewood, Rasikh Dar, Suyash Sharma, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Swapnil Singh, Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Nuwan Thushara, Manoj Bhandage, Jacob Bethell, Devdutt Padikkal, Swastik Chhikara, Lungi Ngidi, Abhinandan Singh.