They had traded in Cameron Green ahead of IPL 2024.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) finally ended their trophy drought in the previous edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The IPL 2026 auction will bring a different challenge for them as they will look to retain most of their title-winning squad.
The team tasted great success in the IPL 2025 with a formidable unit that was centred around specific roles. The head coach, Andy Flower and the think-tank focused on filling the role requirements rather than going after superstars. It paid off immensely as they had multiple match-winners in the season. But if they are to pursue the Australian star for the upcoming season, RCB might have to make some hard decisions.
More details about RCB releases, retentions ahead of the IPL 2026 auction
The Australian all-rounder missed the previous IPL season due to an injury. He was part of the Bengaluru franchise in 2024, but they decided against retaining him as he was ruled out for a lengthy period.
The 26-year-old made his return to action in June and has been in incredible form with the bat in white-ball cricket. He has smashed 258 runs from eight innings in T20 Internationals this year at an average of 43 while striking at an excellent rate of 168. He has registered three fifties in this period. However, he is out of the upcoming ODI series against India due to a low-grade side soreness.
Green has a reputation among fans and the franchise. In the 2023 auction, he went for a massive price of INR 17.50 crore with the Mumbai Indians going all guns blazing for him. He had a good debut season, where he scored 452 runs at a strike rate of 160 while averaging 50, including a century.
Next year, the Mumbai Indians traded him to RCB to facilitate the trade of Hardik Pandya from the Gujarat Titans. Green did a decent job in IPL 2024 as well, averaging 32 and striking at 143. He also made an impact, picking up 10 wickets at 8.61 rpo.
The mini auction will also play a part as star players generally earn much bigger paycheques due to the high demand and low supply dynamics. Considering all the factors, the December auction will surely see a bidding war for Green.
ALSO READ:
Like every other franchise, Bengaluru will want Green in their arsenal. He has played for the franchise before and would fit right into the current set-up seamlessly. He has a skill set that bolsters any side in any format. A seam bowling all-rounder that can bat anywhere in the batting order is a luxury teams would love to have.
However, for RCB to pursue him, they will have to make a few tough calls. Assuming Green will fetch something between INR 15-20 crore, the Royal Challengers must free up their purse. To do that, they will have to release one of the big overseas stars.
Phil Salt was a key part of their campaign, and although he could free up INR 11.50 crore, it is unlikely that they will release him. Josh Hazlewood was their premier pacer, and they’d be foolish to let him go. Which leaves them with Liam Livingstone.
The England all-rounder had an average tournament earlier this year, where he averaged 16 with the bat and struck at 133. Livingstone showed some form in The Hundred but tapered off at the back end. With the current England white-ball regular Jacob Bethell also in the side, releasing Livingstone will not hurt the champions in any way.
RCB had brought him in for INR 8.75 crore. They can also release Rasikh Salam, who has potential but hasn’t made much progress. Releasing him will give them INR 6 crore. Add in Lungi Ngidi (INR 1 crore) and a couple of fringe domestic players, and they could free up INR 2 crore more.
Going this route, the 2025 Champions can manage over INR 16+ crore, which would give them a chance to compete for Green’s services.
For more updates, follow CricXtasy on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
