New Delhi, May 7: There have been major squad developments in IPL 2025 on Wednesday as Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) signed Mayank Agarwal as an injury replacement for Devdutt Padikkal while Delhi Capitals (DC) announced the signing of Afghanistan opener Sediqullah Atal as a replacement for England batter Harry Brook.

Padikkal played 10 matches for RCB this season and scored 247 runs with the help of two half-centuries. But the left-handed top-order batter is now out of the competition after sustaining an injury to his right hamstring. RCB have now roped in Agarwal, who has played 127 IPL matches so far and scored 2661 runs. He has one IPL hundred and 13 fifties against his name, and even Punjab Kings (PBKS).

On the other hand, Atal, who made headlines with his heroic 85 against Australia in the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy earlier this year, has played 49 T20s across various competitions, scoring 1,507 runs at an average of 34.25, including 13 half-centuries.

He first rose to prominence during the Kabul Premier League 2023, where he smashed 48 runs in a single over. In that innings, he remained unbeaten on 118 off 56 balls, which included seven fours and ten sixes. He also scored a century in the tournament final, making 103 off just 42 deliveries.

Atal played a pivotal role in Afghanistan’s title win at the ACC Men’s T20 Emerging Teams Asia Cup 2024, topping the run-scorers’ chart with 368 runs in five matches. He now comes into DC as a replacement for Brook, who pulled out of the competition due to personal reasons.

“We are excited to welcome Atal to the Delhi Capitals. He is an exciting, young talent who has impressed everyone with his performances for both the Afghanistan youth and senior teams. Going into this important phase of the tournament, his presence will certainly add depth to our batting lineup,” said DC head coach Hemang Badani.

Second-placed RCB will take on Lucknow Super Giants at the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Friday whereas fifth-ranked DC will be hoping to move in to IPL 2025 top four standings when they take on Punjab Kings at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala on Thursday. (IANS)

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