Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will enter the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL 2026) Auction will more or less a settled unit, with a few spots in the squad that need to be filled. The RCB remaining purse is INR 16.40 crore after confirming their IPL retentions and it will be interesting to see which players the management will pursue at the event on December 16.
Ahead of that, the Bengaluru management invited J&K pacer Adil Ayub Tunda for a trial, which can lead to a possible bid at the auction if he manages to impress. While another J&K pacer Auqib Nabi was invited for a trial with Mumbai Indians (MI) after his heroics in domestic cricket, RCB have earmarked the lesser-known Tunda. Let’s know more about the young speedster.
Hailing from a region where the way of life is extremely difficult coupled with the lack of infrastructure, Adil had to overcome obstacles ever since getting introduced to the sport by his father, a former cricketer himself. His career eventually began to take shape when he joined a local cricket academy and his breakthrough moment came after getting selected to represent his state in a U19 tournament. Subsequently, he honed his craft and made his rise through various domestic tournaments and even went on to ply his trade in franchise cricket.
The 23-year-old right-arm fast bowler has already made giant strides in his short but promising career so far. He made headlines last year after finishing as the top wicket-taker in the Puducherry Premier League, taking 21 wickets in 12 innings at an average of 14.66 and an economy of 7. Adil looked in sublime form in this year’s edition as well, finishing the tournament as the sixth-highest wicket-taker with 14 scalps in 11 games, including a four-fer.
Earlier, he made his T20 debut in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) for J&K last year where he played five games and snared two wickets.
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While the J&K pacer’s stats serve as a testament to his prowess, he is a tall 6ft5inch bowler who can hit the hard lengths and extract bounce of the surface, an essential quality for seamers to get purchase in subcontinent conditions. Furthermore, he can operate with the new ball and at the death and boasts of nailing yorkers to perfection, a valuable asset for a fast bowler in a highly competitive league like the IPL.
Although RCB, invited him for trials, Tunda can be on the radar of other IPL franchises as a probable prospect at the IPL 2026 Auction. Teams like Rajasthan Royals (RR), Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), Delhi Capitals (DC) have struggled with their Indian pace battery and would be looking to add an upcoming talent who packs incredible prowess. If picked by RCB, he will join an exciting talent pool of young Indian pacers in the likes of Abhinandan Singh, Rasikh Salam Dar and Yash Dayal.
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