RCB enter an IPL season as defending champions for the first time ever. Here's who they could retain and release ahead of the IPL 2026 mini-auction.
IPL's perennial underachievers are now the title holders. Ever since that night of triumph, a lot has happened: the tragic victory parade muted all celebration, and the franchise has been laying low since, with little activity on their usually active social media handles. There are various reports suggesting that the team is on the verge of acquisition.
The next IPL could mean a fresh start, and it begins with the auction: how they strategise their squad could go a long way in defining their season.
RCB: Who should they retain and who should they replace?
The must-haves
Former captain Virat Kohli and current captain Rajat Patidar are sure-shot retentions, no questions asked. The brand still revolves around Kohli, while Patidar has quickly become a fan-favourite with a bullseye in his debut season of captaincy.
Phil Salt– their second-highest run-getter last year – has been a force at the top of the order, while Jitesh Sharma and Tim David are great for middle-order muscle. The fact that Jitesh is back to playing for India raises his profile even more.
This essentially makes the nucleus of their batting.
Josh Hazlewood is a gun powerplay bowler, and their top wicket-taker last season. If fit and available, he should lead the bowling attack again. Krunal Pandya blew hot-and-cold, but his skillset is too good to leave out at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Just that we don’t know if RCB will be playing their home games there.
The good-to-haves
RCB would still want to keep Liam Livingstone and Romario Shepherd (who has been in fine form of late) for the balance the two all-rounders provide.
As quality Indian fast bowling options, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Yash Dayal are rare finds, and both play very different roles. But there are some concerns. Bhuvneshwar hasn't played any competitive cricket since the IPL final. With Dayal, there could be doubts too. He hasn’t played any competitive cricket since the final either, and has reportedly been involved in legal trouble since.
RCB wouldn’t mind retaining some of their other domestic names: Suyash Sharma, Manoj Bhandage, Swapnil Singh, Abhinandan Singh and Mohit Rathee can all serve as backup players and Impact Sub options.
Mayank Agarwal is another reliable capped India player that can strengthen the bench. It's also a department RCB have previously struggled with.
In Jacob Bethell, they have a youngster on the rise, who could play a utility role while expanding his skills. His fielding adds extra points.
The ones to release
Usually, a champion side would want to change little from their winning squad, but RCB could still offload a number of overseas options. Lungi Ngidi, his replacement Blessing Muzarabani and Nuwan Thusara didn’t really make much impact in their limited appearances. Tim Seifert had little role to play as Bethell’s replacement, but RCB might go for a fresh option in the auction instead.
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