They won their maiden IPL trophy last season.
Speak of being on cloud nine, and that’s exactly where you would find the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). After lifting the coveted IPL title 18 years into the tournament, the franchise would be looking towards utilising the RCB remaining purse most efficiently for the 19th edition of the IPL. That being said, all the eyeballs will roll towards Abu Dhabi, where the auction is set to take place on December 16.
The IPL 2025 champions retained a total of 17 players in their ranks, and have room for eight more – two of which can be overseas picks. The franchise has a purse of INR 16.40 Crore to fuel their chances for filling some of the loopholes in their side. That being said, they have retained most of their core players and look well set for another enthralling season in IPL 2026.
There was not even a spec of doubt in the fact that RCB were going to retain their opening pair of Virat Kohli and Phil Salt. The duo produced unbelievable starts in the last season and gave the team a lot of stability to build on. To add to that, with skipper Rajat Patidar in the middle-order and players like Tim David at the back-end of the innings, the team soared higher.
Though Patidar was out of action for four weeks after sustaining an injury while playing against South Africa A, the fans would be thrilled to know that he is back on the park now, and is likely to take the field in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) for Madhya Pradesh’s third game of the season. That being said, a major part of the discussion with the RCB remaining purse will revolve around what the management is looking at for the next season.
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One of the most important decisions that RCB will have to take in the upcoming IPL 2026 auction would be whether to bank on an overseas all-rounder or a ack-up for Josh Hazlewood. With the list of retained players, the playing XI for the IPL 2025 champions seems set. What they need to do with the remaining purse is to plug in some back-ups and ensure that they are ready for the next season.
It is abundantly clear that RCB do not need to pick more batters. Virat Kohli and Phil Salt would be opening the batting, followed by Devdutt Padikkal and skipper Patidar for the next two slots. That being said, the franchise has the likes of Tim David (who can also bat at No.4), Romario Shepherd and Jitesh Sharma for the finisher’s role. That is a lot of batting depth. Add to that Krunal Pandya, and that’s a side tough to beat.
What the franchise might be after, considering the RCB remaining purse would be a quality back-up for the likes of Josh Hazlewood. Yash Dayal and Nuwan Thushara would be extremely good picks to start in the XI on given days along with Bhuvneshwar Kumar. But there would be days when they would be hammered. And that is where RCB need to have an option in place.
To add to that, Krunal Pandya and Suyash Sharma are the two players entrusted with spinning a web around the opposition. Though they are both fine artists of their craft, Ravi Bishnoi might be a better fit than someone like Suyash. But the LSG released spinner is set to get bids from multiple franchises, which cannot guarantee RCB’s chances of getting Bishnoi. But the franchise might have a crack at the young spinner from Rajasthan.
One of the prime targets for RCB in the IPL 2026 auction would be someone like Jacob Duffy. The 31-year-old speedster from New Zealand has an impressive record in First-class cricket and can be an ideal back-up for a gun bowler like Hazlewood. He has picked 178 wickets in 156 T20 matches with two five-wicket hauls and an economy of 8.35. If RCB could get their hands on the speedster, they would pretty much have a complete team heading into 2026.
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