RCB retained 17 players, leaving a maximum of 8 spots, including 2 overseas, to fill the squad with a purse of INR 16.40 crores.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) do not need to make any drastic changes. Entering the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 auction as defending champions, RCB needs to fill in the gaps. Their starting XI is almost set and they will have good replacements for released players, including replacements in case players are injured or out of form.
RCB retention list
Abhinandan Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Devdutt Padikkal, Jacob Bethell✈️, Jitesh Sharma (wk and vc), Josh Hazlewood✈️, Krunal Pandya, Nuwan Thurshara✈️, Phil Salt✈️ (wk), Rajat Patidar (c), Rasikh Dar, Romario Shepherd✈️, Suyash Sharma, Swapnil Singh, Tim David✈️, Virat Kohli, Yash Dayal
RCB released the list of players
Liam Livingstone✈️, Manoj Bhandage, Mayank Agarwal, Swapnil Singh, Mohit Rathee, Swastik Chikara
Purse and locations for IPL 2026 auction
RCB has the fifth lowest purse for the IPL 2026 auction – INR 16.40 crore. But considering they only need to fill one slot to reach the team’s minimum roster and eight slots for a maximum of 25 players, the number isn’t too bad. At best, RCB can acquire 2 foreign players, since it has already retained 6.
Players RCB should target in IPL 2026 auction
With the departure of Lungi Ngidi and doubts over Josh Hazlewood’s fitness, RCB will need to recruit at least one more foreign fast bowler. They will have a few options and will have to decide which stimulator to choose due to budget constraints. RCB will also look to sign at least one Indian pacer.
| Player | Type |
|---|---|
| Matheesha Pathirana/Gerald Coetzee/Anrich Nortje/ Spencer Johnson/Matt Henry/Gus Atkinson/ Fazalhaq Farooqi/Lungi Ngidi/Will O’Rourke |
Foreign fast player |
| Mahipal Lomror/Atharva Taide/ Deepak Hooda/Tanush Kotian |
An Indian spin all-rounder |
| Luvnith Sisodia/Vansh Bedi | Indian wicketkeeper |
| Rajvardhan Hangargekar/Vijay Shankar/ Shivam Mavi |
An all-rounder with Indian pace |
| Liam Livingstone/Wanindu Hasaranga/ Wiaan Mulder/Michael Bracewell |
Foreign all-rounder |
| Venkatesh Iyer/Shaik Rasheed/Prithvi Shaw/ Yash Dhull/Mayank Agarwal |
Top notch dough |
| Simarjeet Singh/Kamlesh Nagarkoti/ Chetan Sakariya/Akash Madhwal/ Deep Akash |
Indian fast bowler |
| Karan Sharma/Rahul Chahar/ Kumar Kartikeya/Vignesh Puthur |
Indian spinner |
Although RCB has 2 wicketkeepers, they will need to get at least one Indian replacement. The same goes for spinners; they have Krunal Pandya and Suyash Sharma, but all good teams have excellent replacements. Last year, RCB lost Devdutt Padikkal to injury; the same thing could happen this year, but to a different player. This is why they will need top-order and middle-order relief hitters.
RCB could buy Liam Livingstone at a lower cost, but they also have other foreign options. The defending champions can also sign a few Indian all-rounders if they fail to acquire a big name.
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