Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have announced New Zealand wicketkeeper-batter and former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) player Tim Seifert as a replacement for Jacob Bethell. The change comes ahead of RCB’s IPL 2025 match against SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH), scheduled for Friday, May 23 at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow.
Bethell will depart after the SRH game to join England’s national squad for their upcoming series against the West Indies. Following his exit, Seifert will step in as a temporary replacement for the remainder of the season.
Due to the IPL 2025 schedule being briefly suspended earlier in the season, player availability has been affected, with several international commitments overlapping. As a result, the BCCI has allowed teams to make temporary replacements — a move that enables Seifert to join RCB for their final push.
Seifert went unsold at the IPL 2025 mega auction, despite a base price of ₹1.25 crore. However, the experienced Kiwi is now set to return to the league for a short stint with Bengaluru. With over 260 T20 matches under his belt, Seifert has scored 5,862 runs at an average of 27.65 and a strike rate of 133.07, including three centuries and 28 fifties. He’s also been in good form recently, scoring 226 runs in his last nine T20 games at a strike rate of 145.80.
RCB are currently enjoying a strong season, having won 8 of their 12 matches. With 17 points, they sit second on the points table and have already qualified for the playoffs. Their focus now is on securing a top-two finish, which would give them an extra shot at reaching the final. After facing SRH, their final league game will be against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on Tuesday, May 27.
With Bethell set to leave, Seifert’s inclusion brings depth and experience to the squad as they eye a strong finish to the season.
