Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) are facing some tough questions ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction and their biggest issue is should they retain captain Faf du Plessis or not, said former India cricketer Aakash Chopra.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru must find a method to end their IPL title drought soon next season, and their first step is to select the best retention alternatives ahead of the blockbuster auction.
Last season, RCB qualified for the playoffs after a stunning second-half turnaround. Virat Kohli once again proved to be the primary player for Bengaluru, finishing as the Orange Cap champion with 741 runs in 15 matches.
Only three RCB batters managed to breach the 350-run mark last season - Kohli, Faf du Plessis (438) and Rajat Patidar (395).
Former India opener Aakash Chopra has said that RCB may dismiss captain Faf du Plessis because the Proteas great is already 40 years old and it might not be a good decision to keep him for three more seasons.
"This is always a very interesting question. Tough question again as to who would you want to retain. Virat Kohli will be one you will retain. Can you retain Faf for three years? That is a big question. Do you want to retain Faf for three years? Not sure.
If I get a chance I will retain Cameron Green. I will retain Mohammed Siraj because I won't get too many Indian fast bowlers in the auction if I let him go as part of the retentions," Chopra said on his YouTube channel.
Chopra stated that if there are more than three keeping alternatives, RCB could choose Rajat Patidar. He strongly recommended the franchise not to keep Glenn Maxwell and instead go with someone like Will Jacks, who hit a century last season.
"Rajat Patidar maybe, if he can be retained slightly cheap, but that's about it. Too many names aren't there. I will release Maxi. I will say it's enough, that you are a very good player, you play very well, but it's okay. I want to look somewhere else. So I might leave Maxi. Will Jacks is not a bad choice. You can do that. Between Will Jacks and Glenn Maxwell, Will Jacks is much better. So that's a possibility, an outside chance. It depends on how many people you get a chance to retain," he replied.
