3 ideal opening partners for Virat Kohli who RCB should target at IPL 2025 Auction ft. Jos Buttler
On expected lines, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) retained senior batter Virat Kohli ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 mega auction. The 36-year-old has been retained for ₹21 crore. RCB also retained batter Rajat Patidar for ₹11 crore and left-arm pacer Yash Dayal for ₹5 crore. The Bengaluru franchise, however, released Faf du Plessis, who captained the team from 2022 to 2024.
Du Plessis' non-retention was expected. The Proteas star is 40 and RCB would want to look at the future as they head into the mega auction. The Proteas cricketer's exit, though, leaves a big hole at the top of the batting order. Though, RCB did not win a title under Du Plessis, he formed a prolific opening alliance with Kohli. As a pair, they scored over 2,000 runs at an average of nearly 50.
With Du Plessis being released by RCB, we look at three ideal opening partners for Kohli the franchise can target at the IPL 2025 auction.
#1 Ishan Kishan
Among Indian openers, left-handed batter Ishan Kishan could be a good option as partner for Kohli. The 26-year-old is a proven performer in the IPL. In 105 matches, he has 2,644 runs to his name at a strike rate of 135.87, with 16 half-centuries. Kishan had an underwhelming 2024 campaign, but scored 400-plus runs in the two IPL editions before that.
Kishan has played under Kohli in T20Is when the latter was captain and seemed to enjoy himself during that phase. As a batter, the Jharkhand cricketer is a typically aggressive hitter, who can dominate opponents on his day and can be pretty much unstoppable when he gets going.
Kishan even has a double century in ODI cricket. He clobbered 210 in only 131 balls against Bangladesh in Chattogram in December 2022. The southpaw is young and has plenty to offer. He could be a potentially good choice as Kohli's opening partner for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL.
#2 Jos Buttler
England's white-ball captain Jos Buttler has been one of the most consistent and most destructive batters in the IPL over the last few years. It was thus a bit of a surprise that Rajasthan Royals (RR) decided to release him ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction. The right-hander is the third-leading run-getter for RR, having clobbered 3,055 runs from 82 innings at a strike rate of 147.79, with seven tons.
The 34-year-old amassed 863 in 17 innings for RR in 2022, averaging 57.53 at a strike rate of 149.05, with four hundreds and four fifties. He struck two centuries in 2024 as well, but was not available for the playoffs as he had to report for national duty, which could have played a role in him being released.
Buttler can form an excellent opening combination with Kohli. Consistency is the forte of both the players. And, if they get going in tandem, the pair can deliver similar results to what Kohli and du Plessis achieved for RCB.
#3 Rahmanullah Gurbaz
New Zealand's Devon Conway could have been another potential opening partner for Kohli. He is a left-hander as well. However, his batting style is a bit similar to the Indian legend. Neither of them goes all out from the very start. As such, Afghanistan's destructive opening batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz could be a good choice as Kohli's partner for RCB in the IPL.
Gurbaz has all the shots in the book needed to succeed in limited-overs cricket and has been growing in confidence following his recent heroics in international cricket. The right-handed batter, who will turn 23 soon, has eight ODI tons in 46 innings. In T20Is, he has notched up one hundred and 10 fifties in 83 innings at a strike rate of 135.48.
The Afghanistan cricketer has played only 13 IPL games so far, but the world of cricket has seen the kind of talent he possesses. In the T20 World Cup earlier this year, he scored superb half-centuries against New Zealand and Australia. Gurbaz as opening partner for Kohli is undoubtedly a possibility worth exploring for RCB.