Manoj Bhandage IPL 2025: Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s new all-round prospect made a quiet but symbolic debut in the season opener, facing four balls and opening his IPL account with a solitary run. The left-hander from Karnataka walked in at a crunch moment, absorbed the pressure but fell while attempting his first boundary. With a strike-rate of 25 from that brief stay, the numbers hint at a work-in-progress finisher rather than a finished product. What makes the 24-year-old an intriguing pick for RCB is the untapped bowling dimension. Across 14 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy games he clocked speeds upwards of 135 kph and returned 11 wickets, yet RCB chose to unleash him purely as a pinch-hitter first-up. Zero overs in his maiden IPL outing means the mystery remains—when the management does throw the ball to Bhandage, the franchise will hope his skiddy pace and hard-length strategy can replicate those domestic returns on the grand stage. RCB shelled out ₹20 lakh to secure the uncapped all-rounder at the 2025 auction, signalling their long-term vision of grooming Indian talent who can deliver two overs in the powerplay and swing momentum with late-overs cameos. If the coming fixtures see Bhandage promoted ahead of the death overs, expect those four balls faced in the opener to quickly balloon into boundary-laden cameos—and the zero wickets column to flip into impactful breakthroughs.

Ajinkya Rahane IPL journey spans 17 seasons, 183 innings and a mountain of 5,032 runs that have come off 4,025 balls at a brisk strike-rate of 125. The Mumbai-born right-hander has punished bowlers for 514 fours and 123 sixes, crossing fifty 33 times and reaching three figures on two memorable occasions, the highest being an unbeaten 105. After stints with Mumbai Indians, Rajasthan Royals, Rising Pune Supergiant, Delhi Capitals and Chennai Super Kings, he is back with Kolkata Knight Riders for IPL 2025. While Rahane has rolled his arm over only once in the league, picking up a solitary wicket in a six-ball cameo that cost five runs, he remains celebrated as one of the league’s most technically sound and consistent top-order batsmen.

Note: This overview is partially generated using AI and is based on statistical data. Please verify with official sources for complete accuracy.