Two key cogs of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have returned to their team as they prepare to restart IPL 2025. As Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) look for a direct ticket to the playoffs in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, the returnee has come at the perfect moment. In a huge fillip to their already successful campaign, overseas finishers Tim David and Romario Shepherd joined the team in Bengaluru before their marquee home game against defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) this Saturday.
David, who has been the cornerstone of RCB’s late-order pyrotechnics this year, returns to shore up a consistently promising middle-order. His return adds depth to the batting. Along with him, the comeback of West Indies allrounder Romario Shepherd brings not only brawn with the bat but also valuable overs with the ball, although there are doubts over his fitness for the entire campaign.
His return date is yet uncertain, and RCB management can only hope for a window that will see him play at least the last league matches. At the same time, England’s trio of power players — Jacob Bethell, Liam Livingstone, and Phil Salt — have also arrived in Bengaluru. Among the trio, Salt is the most important returnee. The firebrand opener has been in red-hot form this season and should be available till the conclusion of the tournament. His England call-up for West Indies T20I series doesn’t take place until June 6, by which point the IPL would have finished.
Livingstone, who brings a multi-dimensional dimension to the team with his hitting and handy spin, is once again in the running and, depending on team balance, could appear in the last games.
But Jacob Bethell’s sojourn will be short-lived. The 20-year-old has been cleared to play only two games — including the home game against Sunrisers Hyderabad on May 23 — before he returns to England for their white-ball tour of the Caribbean. That would mean he would miss RCB’s last league game against Lucknow Super Giants on May 27 in Lucknow.
RCB’s foreign reinforcements are timely, particularly with two of their most important fast bowlers — Josh Hazlewood and Lungi Ngidi — still out of action. Hazlewood is recuperating from a minor shoulder niggle and is still under Cricket Australia’s medical supervision. Although his injury is not deemed serious, RCB is still waiting for a final clearance. He has already been included in Australia’s team for the World Test Championship final beginning on June 11 at Lord’s, which marks that his long-term fitness is sound.
