Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) has made changes in its team ahead of the IPL 2025 playoffs, replacing England’s Jacob Bethell with New Zealand wicketkeeper-batsman Tim Seifert. Bethell will not be available for the upcoming matches due to joining the England national team. According to the BCCI, this change will be considered effective from May 24.
Seifert has scored 1540 runs in 66 T20 Internationals for New Zealand so far. However, he has got limited opportunities in the IPL. He has played only three matches in this tournament so far, in which he last appeared in the year 2022. This time he will join RCB on a contract of Rs 2 crore.
Bethell’s last match for the Bangalore franchise will be against Sunrisers Hyderabad on May 23. After this, he will leave to join the England team. RCB’s last league match will be against Lucknow Super Giants on May 27, in which Bethell will be absent.
Meanwhile, other franchises are also facing the absence of their foreign players. England batsman Jos Buttler, who plays for Gujarat Titans, will also not be able to participate in the playoffs as he has been called up for England’s home series against the West Indies.
The other teams that have reached the playoffs are Punjab Kings, Gujarat Titans and Mumbai Indians. In such a situation, the availability of foreign players before the playoffs can affect the strategy of many teams.
