'No Yuzi, No Siraj, No Starc, No KL...' Fans roast RCB management over IPL auction bids

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) is under fire from fans and cricket experts following their lackluster performance at the IPL 2025 mega auction. Their cautious approach, particularly during the marquee player rounds, has drawn widespread criticism and relentless trolling on social media platforms like X.

The controversy began when RCB passed on the opportunity to secure marquee players such as Rishabh Pant, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, and Mitchell Starc, despite entering the auction with the second-largest purse of Rs 83 crore. Fans were particularly puzzled when RCB chose not to use the Right to Match (RTM) option for Mohammed Siraj, who was sold to Gujarat Titans for Rs 12.25 crore. The decision to let go of Siraj -- a star performer for the franchise -- sparked outrage among supporters.

Adding fuel to the fire was the team's restrained bidding during the marquee rounds. Instead of aggressively pursuing top players, RCB chose to spend conservatively, securing only England all-rounder Liam Livingstone. Many fans saw this as a missed opportunity to strengthen the team for the upcoming season.

Rishabh Pant, who became the most expensive player in IPL history with a Rs 27 crore bid from Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), was another point of contention. RCB competed for Pant up to the Rs 11.25 crore mark but eventually lost out to LSG. During the bidding war, RCB posted a cheeky tweet featuring a Spiderman GIF captioned, “On his way to the Chinnaswamy, maybe?” referencing Pant’s nickname, “Spiddy.” However, when LSG secured Pant, they replied to RCB’s tweet with a GIF of Doctor Strange saying, “Sorry, Kid.” The online banter added to RCB's embarrassment as fans joined in the trolling.

RCB’s decision to retain only three players—Virat Kohli for Rs 21 crore, Rajat Patidar for Rs 11 crore, and uncapped player Yash Dayal for Rs 4 crore—has also been questioned. Critics argue that their retention strategy left them with a mountain to climb in the auction, leading to the current backlash.

As memes and sarcastic comments flood social media, fans have expressed disappointment over RCB’s lack of aggression and vision, calling their strategy a wasted opportunity.