Some players, like Rajat Patidar and Virat Kohli, haven’t played any match since the IPL.
The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) finally made history by winning their first-ever Indian Premier League (IPL) title in 2025, ending an 18-year wait.
Almost every player who played for them in the season contributed to their success. But with the IPL 2026 auction ahead, RCB will have to make some tough decisions on whom to retain and whom to release.
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EDR
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NDS
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CDK
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ODW
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NDT
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SLG
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PIR
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GCC
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SLG
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RUCC
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NVR
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GTC
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NAJC
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TCC
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PHG
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SEL
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SWT
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WIU19-W
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USAU19-W
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PNC
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SAC
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Some players, like Rajat Patidar and Virat Kohli, haven’t played any match since the IPL. Patidar has been recovering from an injury, while Kohli, who retired from Test cricket in May, isn’t part of the ongoing England vs India Test series.
However, several other RCB players have been quite active and have made an impact for their respective teams. So, let’s take a look at how RCB players have been performing around the world since their IPL 2025 win.
Phil Salt played a massive part in the IPL 2025 to help RCB in winning the title. He played 13 matches, accumulated 403 runs at an average of 33.58, and scored four half-centuries. One of the most important and impressive things was his strike rate, which was 175.98. It helped the team to get very good starts at a very fast run rate, and it also allowed Virat Kohli to play his natural game.
Since the conclusion of IPL 2025, Phil Salt has played in the T20 Vitality Blast, where he represented Lancashire in seven matches and scored 245 runs at an average of 35.00 and a strike rate of 146.70. Even though he scored only one half-century, he had some good starts in other matches. Lancashire have qualified for the quarterfinals of the tournament, which will be played in September. Salt is expected to be retained by RCB ahead of the IPL 2026 Auction.
Jitesh Sharma was also one of the main contributors in the title winning campaign for RCB. IPL 2025 must have been his best season, not just because he won the title, but also because of the impact he had with his performances, which played a big role in helping the team. In 11 innings, he scored 261 runs at an average of 37.28. Batting in the middle order and sometimes as a finisher, his strike rate was 176.35. His highest score of 85 not out against LSG in the last league game was crucial, as it helped the team finish in the top two and the rest is history.
Just a few days after IPL 2025, he represented NECO Master Blaster in the Vidharbha T20, where he batted in six innings and scored 153 runs with an impressive strike rate of 177.90. The skipper made a huge impact for his team, and just days after winning IPL 2025, he also won the Vidarbha T20 2025, where he scored 30 not out off just 11 balls in the final. RCB is expected to retain him ahead of IPL 2026 Auction.
Liam Livingstone had a disappointing season with both bat and ball in IPL 2025 for RCB. In 10 matches, he batted in eight innings and could only score 112 runs at an average of just 16.00, with a strike rate of 133.33, which is quite low by his standards. With the ball, he bowled in five innings and picked up only two wickets. Overall, it was a not a good season for him.
Since then, he has shown improvement in the T20 Blast. Representing Lancashire, he has scored 146 runs in five matches at an average of 36.50 and an impressive strike rate of 175.90. With the ball, he has picked up four wickets in three innings. He might get more chances as Lancashire have qualified for the quarterfinals, which will be held in September. Also, he will be looking to perform well, as there is a possibility he might be released before the IPL 2026 auction, so he must be aiming to do well in order to increase his chances of being retained by RCB.
Swapnil Singh did not get any chances to play for RCB in IPL 2025, as there were other players ahead of him in the pecking order.
Since then, he featured in the TNPL 2025, but even there he didn’t have the best outing. In eight matches, he managed to score only 85 runs and picked up just three wickets. There is a high possibility that he might be released ahead of the IPL 2026 auction.
Tim David, just like Jitesh Sharma, made a huge impact with his performances in IPL 2025’s title-winning campaign. He played 12 matches and batted in nine innings, scoring 187 runs at an average of 62.33 and a strike rate of 185.14. One important point is that he remained unbeaten in six of those innings. This was not only his best season in the IPL in terms of numbers, but also in terms of overall impact.
After IPL 2025, he has continued his terrific form. He played in the T20I series against West Indies in July, where he scored 132 runs in two innings, including a stunning 102 not out off just 37 balls in the fourth T20I. He has been in the form of his life and is expected to be retained by RCB before the IPL 2026 auction.
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Romario Shepherd made good use of the opportunities he got during IPL 2025. He featured in eight matches, batted in three innings, and scored 70 runs, which included a brilliant 53 not out off just 14 balls that helped RCB win against CSK. He batted with a strike rate of 291.66 in those three innings. With the ball, he also picked up six wickets, making it a decent campaign overall.
Since the completion of IPL 2025, Romario Shepherd has played quite a few matches. He featured in three T20I games against England, where he picked up three wickets. After that, he played in MLC 2025, where he took eight wickets in five innings. With the bat, he scored 84 runs in five innings while batting in the lower middle order. He then played in the GSL 2025 for Guyana Amazon Warriors, where he scored 49 runs in three matches, remaining unbeaten in all of them, and picked up two wickets.
Later, he played in the T20I series against Australia, scoring 45 runs and taking three wickets in three games. Currently, he is playing against Pakistan in another T20I series. He might be retained ahead of the IPL 2026 auction, not just for his stats but because of the impact he brings to the game, as he is a game changer and a proven match winner.
Josh Hazlewood was one of the best bowlers in IPL 2025. He played a key role in RCB’s title-winning campaign. In the 12 matches he played, he took 22 wickets with best figures of 4/33 and had an economy rate of 8.77. He finished as the third-highest wicket-taker in the tournament.
After the IPL, he played in the Test series against West Indies, where he picked up 16 wickets in three matches. He took wickets in every innings, including one five-wicket haul and four two-wicket spells. He is expected to be retained by RCB ahead of the IPL 2026 auction.
Nuwan Thushara got to play only one match for RCB in IPL 2025, where he took one wicket. He didn’t get more opportunities because Josh Hazlewood was ahead of him in the pecking order.
Since the IPL, he has played some domestic matches and featured in the T20I series against Bangladesh, where he played three games and took one wicket in each match. There is a high possibility that he might be released ahead of the IPL 2026 auction.
Just like Nuwan Thushara, Lungi Ngidi also got very few opportunities. He played only two matches in IPL 2025 and picked up four wickets.
After the IPL, he played in the World Test Championship 2025 final, which South Africa won. Ngidi took three wickets in the second innings of that match. He was then part of the squad for the Zimbabwe tour, where he played four matches in the T20I tri-series against Zimbabwe and New Zealand, picking up five wickets. He could also be one of the players released ahead of the IPL 2026 auction.
Jacob Bethell played only two matches in IPL 2025. In his second game, he scored a fifty. He got these chances when Phil Salt was unavailable.
Since the IPL, he featured in the ODI and T20I series against West Indies. In the ODIs, he scored 99 runs in two innings, including 82 in the first match, and took two wickets in the series. In the T20Is, he scored 85 runs in three matches, staying unbeaten in two of them, and also picked up four wickets.
After that, he played a first-class match and three T20 games in the T20 Blast, where his performances were disappointing. Currently, he is playing in the fifth Test at the Oval against India. RCB might retain him ahead of the IPL 2026 auction because of his potential and all-round abilities.
Tim Seifert was brought in as a replacement for Jacob Bethell, who was selected for the ODI and T20I series against West Indies. However, Seifert didn’t get any opportunities to play during the IPL 2025 season.
After the IPL, he played in MLC 2025 for the San Francisco Unicorns. He featured in seven matches and scored 114 runs in six innings, but had a disappointing campaign overall. However, he found his form again in the T20I tri-series against Zimbabwe and South Africa, where he scored 196 runs in five matches at an average of 49.00.
RCB cannot retain Tim Seifert as he was only brought in as a temporary replacement. He will be part of the IPL 2026 auction, and if RCB wants him back, they will have to bid for him. Other teams could also go for him.
Blessing Muzarabani came in as a replacement for Lungi Ngidi, who was selected for the WTC 2025 Final squad. However, Muzarabani didn’t get any opportunities to play in the remaining matches.
Since then, he played a Test match against England where he picked up three wickets. He also featured in two Test matches against South Africa, taking a total of three wickets. In the tri-nation T20I series against New Zealand and South Africa, he managed to take just one wicket in two matches.
Just like Tim Seifert, RCB cannot retain Muzarabani as he was brought in as a replacement player.
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