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3 in-form RCB stars who are likely to get omitted from India’s Champions Trophy squad
Follow UsWe look at 3 RCB players in stellar form who could miss out on Champions Trophy selection
Team India are all set to announce their squad for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in two days’ time, and the Men in Blue have a problem of plenty, with there being a plethora of options to choose from. Having a multitude of options is good for the side, but it will mean that lots of deserving candidates will get omitted due to there being lots of supply for very little demand.
Along those lines, we look at 3 Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) players in stellar form who could miss out on Champions Trophy selection.
Devdutt Padikkal
Devdutt Padikkal has played just two games for Karnataka in the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy season but has already made a stunning impact, posting scores of 102 & 86. On the back of his 86 in the semi-final against Haryana on January 15 (Wednesday), Padikkal brought up 2,000 List-A runs, and he has astonishingly got them at an average of 82.52.
Indeed, Padikkal has batted 31 times in 50-over cricket and has crossed 50 a staggering 21 times. His last 7 List A scores read 86, 102, 114, 93*, 70, 117 & 71*.
However, with India’s top-order already stacked due to the presence of Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli and the incoming Yashasvi Jaiswal, it is unlikely that Padikkal will get picked for the 2025 Champions Trophy.
Rajat Patidar
Rajat Patidar was extremely unlucky to miss out on selection for the T20I series against England, and it is almost certain that he will miss out on Champions Trophy selection as well.
In the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy season, Patidar has smashed 226 runs at an average of 56.50 and a strike rate of 107.10 and plundered an unbeaten 132 in the last match he played against Bengal.
In fact, across his last 15 List A innings, Patidar has scored 665 runs at an average of 51.15 and strike rate of 111.6.
However, the right-hander is likely to get omitted for the same reasons Padikkal is set to miss out. Unless there are a bunch of injuries, Patidar will not make it to India’s Champions Trophy squad.
Krunal Pandya
The forgotten man of Indian cricket, Krunal Pandya has been on fire in this ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy. The Baroda all-rounder has scored 256 runs at an average of 51.20 with the bat and has taken 11 wickets at an economy of 4.62.
He is the joint-highest wicket-taker for Baroda and has done that while casually amassing close to 300 runs at a 50+ average.
It’s the kind of season that warrants selection, but the presence of Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, and Washington Sundar is likely to deny Krunal a spot in the Champions Trophy squad.
