Right after BCCI confirmed a mega auction for the Indian Premier League 2025, many teams underwent massive revamps including changes in the support staff band.
One such change was executed by Delhi Capitals. DC who failed to qualify for the playoffs last season sacked Ricky Ponting from the head coach role.
Though neither IPL 2025 mega auction dates nor any official event dates have been revealed officially the heat for the tournament increases consistently. With days ahead for any tournament official events, many unconfirmed news started to float on social media.
Is there new scouting head for RCB in IPL 2025?
Though some news was officially confirmed, numerous news remains as a rumour. One such rumoured news is the change of scouting head for RCB in IPL 2025.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru is one of the most underrated teams in the Indian Premier League. Despite executing many outstanding performances each season, the Bengaluru-based franchise fails to clinch their maiden IPL title. Notably, RCB is one among the eight teams to make their debut appearance in IPL’s inaugural edition in 2008.
Previously, RCB made numerous changes in their camp including changing in captaincy, and coaching unit but still failed to achieve the glory. Ahead of the IPL 2025, a rumour started to spread regarding a change in the ‘scouting head for RCB’.
Malolan Rangarajan was appointed as the new scouting head for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in 2019. He was a former cricketer who played for Tamil Nadu and Uttarakhand in domestic cricket.
The bowling allrounder represented South Zone in the Duleep Trophy in 47 first-class games and bagged 136 wickets at an average of 28.98. With bat, he scored 1379 runs which includes a century and seven fifties.
Apart from being the head of the scouting wing for RCB, he also played the fielding coach role for the team. He was named the assistant head coach of the Royal Challengers Bangalore women in 2023 and remained a part of the team that won their maiden WPL title under Smriti Mandhana’s captaincy in 2024.
Despite success with Women’s RCB, his stint with the Men’s RCB team as head of scout seems to come to an end. Though RCB has not yet made any official statement, the change in Malolan Rangarajan’s Twitter bio added strength to the news.
Kolla Sumanth – an Indian first-class cricketer who plays for Hyderabad is rumoured to rope in as a talent scout for RCB. The Andra Pradesh-born made a change in his Instagram biography as Talent Scout at Royal Challengers Bengaluru and soon removed it.
Netizens grabbed the screenshot of the two individuals’ bios and started to believe in the transition in the Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s camp.
Malolan Rangarajan removed the head of scout for RCB in his Twitter handle.
Kolla Sumanth updated his Instagram official handle bio with the tag of Talent Scout at Royal Challengers Bengaluru which he removed later.
What is the role of a Scout in the Indian Premier League?
A scout plays a huge role in inducting young, less familiar, talented players into the squad. Sometimes as an IPL fan, many will question why their favourite team goes for a less familiar player during the auction who has not even shined in any official BCCI tournaments.
Franchises typically maintain a team of five to six scouts, each assigned to specific zones. They primarily focus on BCCI-approved age-group tournaments, state-level U-19 and U-23 tournaments, and the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy held just before the IPL auction.
A scout will closely monitor the player’s performance in at least three to four local tournaments, and provide insights into their strengths and weaknesses to the franchise’s analysts and coaches.
Scout will not solely decide the player’s fate as the final decision on whether a player fits into the team’s plans rests with the coaching staff.
What will be the salary of the Scouts in IPL?
As per a report, Scouts used to earn between INR 6 lakhs to INR 10 lakhs annually. The salaries have significantly risen and vary based on the scouts’ profiles.
