RCB IPL 2026 team arrives as something no one had seen in 18 years: defending champions. They ended that drought in brutal fashion, beating Punjab Kings by 6 runs in a final where every ball mattered. Kohli scored 657 runs that season at an average of 54.75.
Hazlewood took 22 wickets at an average of 17.55. Krunal Pandya closed out the final with figures of 2/17.
RCB kept 17 of those title-winners and added 8 new faces at the Abu Dhabi mini auction, building a 25-player squad for IPL 2026. Can they do it again?
RCB IPL 2026 Glance
Everything you need to know about RCB’s squad heading into IPL 2026.
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Franchise | Royal Challengers Bengaluru |
| Captain | Rajat Patidar |
| Total Players | 25 |
| Overseas Players | 8 |
| Players Retained | 17 |
| Players Bought at Auction | 8 |
| Owner | United Spirits Limited (USL) |
RCB IPL 2026 Full Squad
17 retained, 8 bought, and a title to defend.
| Player | Role | Status | Price (INR) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virat Kohli | Batsman | Retained | 21.00 Cr |
| Josh Hazlewood | Bowler | Retained | 12.50 Cr |
| Phil Salt | Wicket Keeper | Retained | 11.50 Cr |
| Rajat Patidar | Batsman | Retained | 11.00 Cr |
| Jitesh Sharma | Wicket Keeper | Retained | 11.00 Cr |
| Bhuvneshwar Kumar | Bowler | Retained | 10.75 Cr |
| Venkatesh Iyer | All Rounder | Auctioned | 7.00 Cr |
| Rasikh Dar | Bowler | Retained | 6.00 Cr |
| Krunal Pandya | All Rounder | Retained | 5.75 Cr |
| Mangesh Yadav | All Rounder | Auctioned | 5.20 Cr |
| Yash Dayal | Bowler | Retained | 5.00 Cr |
| Tim David | All Rounder | Retained | 3.00 Cr |
| Suyash Sharma | Bowler | Retained | 2.60 Cr |
| Jacob Bethell | All Rounder | Retained | 2.60 Cr |
| Devdutt Padikkal | Batter | Retained | 2.00 Cr |
| Jacob Duffy | Bowler | Auctioned | 2.00 Cr |
| Nuwan Thushara | Bowler | Retained | 1.60 Cr |
| Romario Shepherd | All Rounder | Retained | 1.50 Cr |
| Jordan Cox | Wicket Keeper | Auctioned | 75.00 L |
| Swapnil Singh | All Rounder | Retained | 50.00 L |
| Abhinandan Singh | Bowler | Retained | 30.00 L |
| Satvik Deswal | All Rounder | Auctioned | 30.00 L |
| Vicky Ostwal | All Rounder | Auctioned | 30.00 L |
| Vihaan Malhotra | All Rounder | Auctioned | 30.00 L |
| Kanishk Chouhan | All Rounder | Auctioned | 30.00 L |
RCB Probable Playing XI for IPL 2026
RCB’s strongest available lineup based on their 2025 title-winning campaign.
| Position | Player | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Virat Kohli | Opener |
| 2 | Phil Salt | Opener / WK |
| 3 | Devdutt Padikkal | No. 3 |
| 4 | Rajat Patidar (C) | No. 4 |
| 5 | Jitesh Sharma (WK) | Middle Order |
| 6 | Tim David | Finisher |
| 7 | Romario Shepherd | Finisher |
| 8 | Krunal Pandya | All Rounder |
| 9 | Bhuvneshwar Kumar | Bowler |
| 10 | Josh Hazlewood | Bowler |
| 11 | Yash Dayal | Bowler |
Impact Player options: Suyash Sharma, Mangesh Yadav
Key Players in the RCB IPL 2026 Team
These are the players RCB’s season will be built around. One bad run from any of them changes everything.
Virat Kohli and Phil Salt: The Opening Partnership
Kohli and Salt were one of the most productive opening pairs in IPL 2025. They added 565 runs across 13 innings together and their 95-run stand against KKR was one of the standout partnerships of the season.
Kohli finished with 657 runs in 15 innings at an average of 54.75 and a strike rate of 144.71, finishing among the top run-scorers in the tournament. Salt scored 403 runs at a strike rate of 175.9, giving RCB the fast powerplay starts they needed throughout the campaign.
Devdutt Padikkal: The No. 3
Padikkal is expected to bat at No. 3 and connect the top order with the middle. A right hamstring injury cut his IPL 2025 season short, but before that he scored 247 runs in 10 matches with two half-centuries at a strike rate of 150.60. His left-handed presence gives balance to a top three that is otherwise right-handed.
Rajat Patidar: Captain and No. 4
Patidar led RCB to their first title and will do so again in 2026. He scored 312 runs in 15 matches in 2025 at a strike rate of 143.78, with a highest score of 64 against Mumbai Indians. Across his IPL career he has 1,111 runs in 42 matches at a strike rate of 154.31, with one century and nine fifties. He also became the second fastest Indian batter to reach 1,000 IPL runs for RCB.
Tim David and Romario Shepherd: The Finishers
When RCB need runs from nowhere, these two deliver.
Tim David’s most important knock in 2025 came against Punjab Kings when he scored 50 off 26 balls with RCB reduced to 42 for 7. He also hit 37 not out off 20 against Delhi Capitals and 22 not out off 8 against Chennai Super Kings.
Romario Shepherd was even more explosive. He hit the fastest fifty in RCB history, a 14-ball half-century of 53 not out against Chennai Super Kings, including six sixes and four fours. He hit 33 runs in the 19th over of that match alone and finished the season with a strike rate of 378.57.
Krunal Pandya: The All-Rounder Who Sealed the Title
Krunal was one of the most impactful players in the 2025 season. He took 17 wickets and scored 109 runs across the tournament. Eleven of those wickets came during RCB’s seven-match away winning streak.
His best bowling performance was 3 for 29 against KKR. He maintained an economy of 6.58 at Chinnaswamy Stadium and contributed a vital 73 not out against Delhi Capitals with the bat. He then finished the 2025 final with figures of 2/17 and won Player of the Match.
Josh Hazlewood & Bhuvneshwar Kumar: RCB’s Best Bowlers
Hazlewood was the standout bowler of RCB’s title run. He took 22 wickets at an average of 15.8 with best figures of 4 for 33 against Rajasthan Royals and bowled 72 dot balls across the season. He is the bowler opposition teams plan around and the one RCB trust most when the game is on the line.
Bhuvneshwar brings 190 IPL matches and 198 career wickets to the RCB attack. In IPL 2025 he took 12 wickets in 10 matches, with best figures of 3 for 33 against Delhi Capitals and an economy rate of 7.95 across the season. His career best in IPL is 5 for 19, with a career bowling average of 27.33. He gives RCB control with the new ball and at the death.
RCB IPL 2026 Schedule: Phase 1
RCB play four matches in Phase 1. Two at home in Bengaluru, two away.
Home Matches
| Match No. | Date | Opponent | Venue | Time (IST) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Match 1 | Sat, 28 Mar 2026 | Sunrisers Hyderabad | M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru | 7:30 PM |
| Match 11 | Sun, 05 Apr 2026 | Chennai Super Kings | M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru | 7:30 PM |
Away Matches
| Match No. | Date | Opponent | Venue | Time (IST) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Match 16 | Fri, 10 Apr 2026 | Rajasthan Royals | ACA Stadium, Guwahati | 7:30 PM |
| Match 20 | Sun, 12 Apr 2026 | Mumbai Indians | Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai | 7:30 PM |
RCB open at home against Sunrisers Hyderabad on March 28. Their second home game on April 5 brings Chennai Super Kings to Chinnaswamy.
Back-to-back away trips to Guwahati and Wankhede then follow within the same week. Four matches in 16 days. The shape of their title defence could be decided in that window.
RCB Ownership
United Spirits Limited (USL) owns Royal Challengers Bengaluru. USL is a subsidiary of British company Diageo. Vijay Mallya originally bought the franchise in 2007 for $111.6 million.
He stepped down as director in 2016. Since then, USL has run all operations through Royal Challengers Sports Pvt. Ltd.
Suggested Reads:
Conclusion : RCB’s IPL Journey From 2008 to Champions
RCB have competed in the IPL since the first season in 2008. They reached the final three times before 2025, finishing as runners-up in 2009, 2011, and 2016. Three finals. Zero trophies. For a long time, that was the RCB story.
Players like Kohli, AB de Villiers, and Chris Gayle produced some of the most memorable individual performances in IPL history. The title kept escaping anyway.
The 2025 season changed all of that. Patidar’s captaincy was calm and decisive. Hazlewood led the best bowling unit in the competition.
Krunal Pandya and Romario Shepherd gave RCB match-winners in roles most teams leave exposed. RCB won it convincingly, on the road and at home.
FAQ
Rajat Patidar. He captained RCB through their 2025 title-winning campaign.
Virat Kohli, retained at Rs. 21 crore.
Eight players were signed at the Abu Dhabi mini auction.
March 28, 2026 against Sunrisers Hyderabad at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru.
He took 22 wickets at an average of 15.8.
Krunal Pandya, for his figures of 2/17 against Punjab Kings.
United Spirits Limited (USL), a subsidiary of British company Diageo.
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