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Are RCB Considering Releasing India Bowling Duo Before IPL 2026 Auction?

Vishnu PN

Last updated: July 26, 2025

3 min read

They will look to free-up their purse by releasing these players.

Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) might have to tweak their bowling lineup ahead of the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) player auction.

With 22 wickets, Josh Hazlewood was Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s standout bowlers, and while he would be one of the favourites to be retained for IPL 2026, the same cannot be said about Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Yash Dayal.

Will Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Yash Dayal be released by RCB?

There is a strong chance that Royal Challengers Bengaluru could release both Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Yash Dayal before the IPL 2026 mini-auction. Mind you, Bhuvneshwar Kumar has done nothing wrong in IPL 2025.

He, in fact, finished as the joint-highest wicket-taker for the Rajat Patidar-led side with 17 scalps, the same as spinner Krunal Pandya. Yash Dayal, however, underperformed.

Although he took 13 wickets from 15 matches, Yash Dayal’s bowling average of 36.15 was the fourth worst among Royal Challengers Bengaluru bowlers. Compared to him, Bhuvneshwar Kumar was slightly better with a bowling average of 28.41.

Yash Dayal was expensive in the death overs in IPL 2025, with his economy rate reading 12.10. In 10 matches, he was only able to take four wickets in the death overs, which also compounded to his inability to bowl consistent lines and lengths.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar, too, endured an economy rate of over 10 in the death overs, while taking just seven wickets. In the powerplay, although Bhuvneshwar managed to take just eight wickets, he still had a relatively better economy rate of 8.03.

How Royal Challengers Bengaluru can free up their auction purse

However, the duo’s performances won’t be the only reason why Royal Challengers Bengaluru could look to release Bhuvneshwar and Dayal. Another reason is that the reigning champions might be looking to free up their auction purse ahead of the IPL 2026 auction.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru acquired Bhuvneshwar for INR 10.50 crores, whereas Yash Dayal (INR 5 crores) was one of the team’s retentions. By releasing the duo, Royal Challengers Bengaluru can free up a total of INR 15.50 crores ahead of the IPL 2026 auction.

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Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s performance was quite mediocre, not too bad or not too good either. One may also argue that because of his mediocre performance, the former Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) pacer may not be worth retaining.

However, Royal Challengers Bengaluru can still release Bhuvneshwar and buy him back at a much lower price at the IPL 2026 auction, because, as we witnessed in IPL 2025, he can still be impactful with wickets at crucial intervals.

All in all, it will be a tricky decision for Royal Challengers Bengaluru whether to keep both, release both, pr keep or release either of them. This is because both of them, at some point in IPL 2025, have been culprits of conceding excessive runs, especially in the death, and death bowling is where Royal Challengers Bengaluru have historically struggled.

Simply put, the reigning champions will have to find more reliable death bowlers, someone who can be a worthy backup for Josh Hazlewood, if they are to have hopes of defending the IPL title next year.

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