With the RCB IPL 2025 season reaching a decisive stage, important players have returned to the team, bolstering their quest for a playoff spot. Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), with 16 points from 11 games, are in a strong position in the top four of the IPL 2025 standings.
Romario Shepherd Returns to RCB Squad Amid Uncertainty
West Indies allrounder Romario Shepherd is back in India and has re-joined the RCB IPL 2025 team for the rescheduled last leg of the tournament. He joined the country along with other West Indies icons Andre Russell and Sunil Narine from Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and KKR mentor Dwayne Bravo.
Yet Shepherd’s availability during the playoffs is uncertain. He has been included in West Indies’ ODI team for their series against England, beginning May 29 – the day IPL 2025 playoffs start. Cricket West Indies has not finalized if the players going to England will be granted permission to fulfill their IPL engagements.
Liam Livingstone and Jacob Bethell Return with RCB
Liam Livingstone, recently axed by England’s white-ball teams, has returned to RCB IPL 2025 and is likely to remain there for the remaining tournament. England’s young prospect Jacob Bethell has also returned to RCB and will be available for RCB’s games against KKR and Sunrisers Hyderabad.
He is due to come back home before RCB’s match against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), as per the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB)’s No Objection Certificates (NOCs), which remain in force till May 25.
Bethell was left out of England’s team for the four-day Test against Zimbabwe from May 29, so he can play in RCB’s immediate matches but not the play-offs.
Out of injury concerns for Josh Hazlewood and Lungi Ngidi
Doubts still surround Josh Hazlewood’s return – he is attempting to recover from an ongoing shoulder injury. Before the IPL shut down, Hazlewood was meant to miss the remainder of the season.
In the meantime, Lungi Ngidi got his RCB IPL 2025 debut against Chennai Super Kings on May 3 in place of Hazlewood. Ngidi is one of the players from South Africa in the WTC final. South African players who are a part of the WTC final are likely to depart from IPL by May 25, making it probable that Ngidi is out of RCB’s match against LSG.
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Phil Salt to Carry on for RCB
Phil Salt, who was previously out of action due to illness, can now be counted upon for the rest of the RCB IPL 2025 season. He has been picked merely for the T20I component of England’s home series versus West Indies on June 6, three days following the revamped IPL 2025 final.
With players such as Romario Shepherd, Liam Livingstone, and Phil Salt back in the squad, RCB IPL 2025 appears to be set up for the final stretch of the tournament.
However, wondering whether Shepherd, Bethell, Hazlewood, and Ngidi will be available looms large and could impede plans for the playoffs. With the playoff intensity rising, RCB fans will be expecting the team to keep their momentum going and finish strongly in IPL 2025.
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