Mohammad Kaif calls RCB’s decision to skip RTM for Will Jacks in IPL 2025 Mega Auction a ‘huge miss’

New Delhi: The IPL 2025 mega auction has concluded, with all teams finalizing their squads of at least 18 players. As is often the case, the RCB management finds itself under scrutiny for its player selections. Retaining only three players—Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, and Yash Dayal—RCB entered the auction with three RTM (Right to Match) cards but opted to use just one, securing Swapnil Singh.

Former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif expressed his thoughts on RCB’s decision to let Will Jacks go to Mumbai Indians for ₹5.25 crore in the IPL 2025 auction. Kaif termed it a “massive miss” for RCB, suggesting that they could have used one of their RTM cards to retain the versatile all-rounder.

Mumbai Indians acquired Will Jacks after a fierce bidding battle with Punjab Kings in the IPL 2025 auction. Following RCB’s decision not to use their RTM card to retain him, Mumbai’s owner, Aakash Ambani, walked over to shake hands with RCB’s CEO, marking a gesture of camaraderie after securing the player.

“Jacks saved their honour last year. RCB came in the top four because of him. I remember two matches. He helped RCB beat SRH (SunRisers Hyderabad) in Hyderabad with his bowling and scored a hundred against GT (Gujarat Titans) in Ahmedabad off 40 balls. So Will Jacks won them two matches on his own and they didn’t take him,” he said.

“RCB said they don’t want good players. They let (Rishabh) Pant and KL (Rahul) go, and he (Jacks) played well for them. It’s not easy for any batter to score a hundred. The RCB fans will be extremely disappointed. We have seen from yesterday (Day 1) that RCB’s auction planning was bad, and today (Day 2) they went from bad to worse. I believe not taking Jacks is a massive miss,” Kaif added.

Will Jacks played just 8 matches in the 2024 IPL season, scoring 230 runs, including 1 century and 1 half-century. He had an impressive strike rate of over 170, playing crucial innings for RCB, particularly in the second half of the tournament when the team needed him the most.

Over the years, RCB has made similar decisions, parting ways with players like KL Rahul, Chris Gayle, and Yuzvendra Chahal. In the same interview, former Indian cricketer and RCB head coach Sanjay Bangar also shared his perspective on the matter.

The biggest disappointing factor of RCB’s auction was not using the RTM for Will Jacks. Yes, you got Tim David and Liam Livingstone. However, Will Jacks has the pedigree and could have attacked at the top of the order. He played at No. 3 last year as well,” he said.