3 reasons why RCB signing Mayank Agarwal for remainder of IPL 2025 is the wrong move

The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have signed Mayank Agarwal as a replacemet for injured Devdutt Padikkal for the remainder of the IPL 2025 season. Padikkal has been ruled out due to a hamstring issue.

RCB have won eight out of their 11 games and are second on the table with 16 points. They have three more league-stage games to go and are almost certain of a spot in the playoffs.

While Padikkal being ruled out comes as a significant blow, they have replaced him with Mayank Agarwal, who is another local lad. Mayank went unsold during the IPL 2025 mega auction, but will now join RCB, the team with which he began his IPL journey in 2011.

The right-hander has joined the team at his base price of ₹1 crore. RCB will play the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH), and Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in their last three matches before the playoffs.

On that note, here are three reasons why RCB signing Mayank Agarwal is the wrong move.

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3 reasons why RCB signing Mayank Agarwal for remainder of IPL 2025 is the wrong move

#3 Mayank Agarwal has played only 14 matches in the last two IPL seasons

Mayanl Agarwal brings IPL experience with him, being a part of the league since the 2011 season. He has played a total of 127 matches and has scores 2661 runs, including a century and 13 half-centuries.

However, he has not been a regular member of the team in the IPL over the last two seasons. Representing SRH in 2023 and 2024, he played a total of 14 matches, scoring 270 runs from 10 games in 2023 and 64 runs from four matches in 2024 before being released.

At this stage of the tournament, the remaining three games for RCB are crucial, keeping their qualification and a possible top-two finish in mind. In such a scenario, going with a player who has hardly played in the last season may not be the best of choices.

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#2 Mayank has usually done well as an opener

As an opener, Mayank Agarwal has played 80 innings in the league and has scored 1981 runs at a strike-rate of 133.31 and average of 25.40. At No. 3, Mayank has scored 495 runs from 24 innings, but the average drops down to 21.52.

As far as RCB are concerned, their opening combination seems more or less sorted, with Virat Kohli doing well at the top. While Phil Salt has missed out in recent games, he is expected to return, and Jacob Bethell, who has opened in two games, has been impressive as well.

With Padikkal batting at three, Mayank would slot in at the same position if he makes it to the playing 11. Despite his familiarity with the Chinnaswamy Stadium, where they will play two more games, he has struggled against the moving ball upfront, which could be a cause of concern. He had done well as an opener in the Maharaja T20 League in Bengaluru, but has faced issues with the dicey movement upfront.

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#1 Lack of left-handers in the batting line-up

With the presence of Phil Salt, Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Jitesh Sharma, Romario Shepherd, and Tim David, RCB's batting line-up has been dominated by right-handed batters.

There has been a lack of left-handed batters in the line-up and that is where Devdutt Padikkal slotting in at No. 3 was a viable choice for the side. With Krunal Pandya being the only other left-hander and Padikkal now missing out, right-hander Mayank Agarwal coming in would leave them short of left-handers in the line-up again.

Jacob Bethell, who has opened in a couple of games, is a left-hander, but should he make way for Phil Salt, the team will remain with just one left-handed batter in Krunal.