Why buying English players was a mistake by RCB [Source: AP Photo]
The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 is just around the corner and the buzz has been created as the fans are eager to witness their favourite team fight it out for the coveted trophy. On Sunday, the India Vs England T20I series got over with India dominating the visitors. Several of the IPL players participated in the league as the focus was on 3 RCB signings - Phil Salt, Liam Livingstone and Jacob Bethell.
Interestingly, by their lofty standards, all three had poor outings across 5 matches as England got demolished easily. The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) invested heavily in the above mentioned stars and while on paper this looked like a master stroke, the on-field performances have a different say altogether. Here are 2 key reasons as to why buying England players was a mistake.
England players cannot play spin
In Indian conditions, spinners have a big role to play and England batters have a tendancy to struggle against them. It was evident during the T20I series when Varun Chakravarthy ran riot and picked up 14 wickets in the series and made the England batters his bunny.
The RCB trio of Salt, Livingstone and Bethell, too, struggled against the Indian spinners as this could cause a problem in the upcoming IPL season. Opposition teams will try and choke them with spin options and they might struggle to score runs against spin bowling.
England trio lacks consistency
The RCB trio of England players are brilliant batters, but they lack consistency, something which RCB have also been lacing as they are yet to win the IPL title. Salt, misfired in the first 4 T20Is, but delivered in the dead rubber.
Similarly, Livingstone just played one good innings and went missing from the other games. Bethell, on the other hand lacks experience of playing spin on Indian conditions and could have a torrid time in the upcoming season.