Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have confirmed that South African pacer Lungi Ngidi will not be available for the IPL 2025 playoffs, as he is set to return home for national duties. In his place, RCB have roped in Zimbabwe fast bowler Blessing Muzarabani as a replacement for the remainder of the tournament.
Ngidi’s exit comes at a critical stage, with RCB having already secured a playoff berth and pushing for a top-two finish. Muzarabani, who stands at an imposing 6’8”, brings with him a wealth of experience and a strong T20 record—127 wickets in 118 matches, with a strike rate of 19.3 and an economy rate of 7.24.
RCB made the announcement on May 19, with the IPL officially confirming the change. Muzarabani will be available for selection starting May 26. The Zimbabwean has been a consistent performer for his country and is expected to bolster an RCB pace unit that has already been hit by injuries, with Australian quick Josh Hazlewood also unavailable.
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In a social media post, the franchise welcomed their new recruit with enthusiasm: “𝗢𝗙𝗙𝗜𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗟 𝗔𝗡𝗡𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗖𝗘𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧: 6’8” Zimbabwean pacer 𝗕𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗠𝘂𝘇𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗶 joins #ನಮ್ಮRCB as Lungi Ngidi heads back to South Africa after our next home game. Welcome aboard, Blessing!”
🔊 𝑶𝑭𝑭𝑰𝑪𝑰𝑨𝑳 𝑨𝑵𝑵𝑶𝑼𝑵𝑪𝑬𝑴𝑬𝑵𝑻 🔊
6 feet 8 inches tall, 28 year old Zimbabwean speedster – 𝗕𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗠𝘂𝘇𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗶 has been announced as RCB’s temporary replacement for Lungi Ngidi who returns to South Africa on the 26th! Lungi continues to be… pic.twitter.com/vn5GBSPShi
— Royal Challengers Bengaluru (@RCBTweets) May 19, 2025
RCB’s recent match against KKR was washed out, but they have two crucial fixtures remaining—against SunRisers Hyderabad on May 23 and Lucknow Super Giants on May 27. Under Rajat Patidar’s leadership, RCB will be counting on Muzarabani’s pace and bounce to add firepower during the knockout stage.
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RCB Squad: Rajat Patidar (c), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Jacob Bethell, Virat Kohli, Mayank Agarawal, Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Blessing Muzarabani, Yash Dayal, Suyash Sharma, Rasikh Dar Salam, Manoj Bhandage, Liam Livingstone, Swapnil Singh, Philip Salt, Mohit Rathee, Swastik Chikara, Abhinandan Singh, Nuwan Thushara, Josh Hazlewood
