indian premier league - ipl

RCB Batter Faces Huge Slump in Form, IPL 2026 Retention Chances in Jeopardy

Sreejita Sen

Last updated: August 23, 2025

2 min read

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batter Mayank Agarwal is currently battling a tough phase of form in the ongoing Maharaja Trophy 2025. This poor show at the Karnataka State Cricket Association’s (KSCA) T20 tournament might harm his retention chances for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 champions, RCB, ahead of the upcoming IPL 2026.

Mayank Agarwal in Maharaja Trophy 2025

While leading the Bengaluru Blasters, the Karnataka batter has scored only 125 runs in seven matches so far, at a strike rate of 140.45. Mayank started off the season brilliantly with a 49-ball 66 but failed to continue his momentum.

He put up an unbeaten 18-run cameo off 10 balls against the Shivamogga Lions, followed by a quickfire 20 off just nine balls at a blazing strike rate of 222.22 against the Mangaluru Dragons. However, the batter’s stats in the following three matches plummeted heavily as he managed to score only 1, 11 and a golden duck, respectively.

Mayank Agarwal’s IPL 2026 Retention Chances for RCB

The player joined RCB as a replacement for youngster Devdutt Padikkal, after the latter sustained a hamstring injury in the latest IPL season. With 247 runs in 10 matches, including two half-centuries, at a strike rate of 150.61, Padikkal was showcasing a brilliant form in the season, before an unfortunate injury sidelined him from the action.

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But the 25-year-old made a strong comeback to continue a similar form in the aforementioned league. He is currently the second-highest run-scorer with 263 runs in eight fixtures while leading the Hubli Tigers. However, his IPL 2025 replacement Mayank, put up an average performance in his limited four-match appearance for the franchise.

His only notable knock came in a 227-run chase against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). The batter played a commendable supporting knock of 41* runs off 23 balls at a blistering strike rate of 178.26, while the stand-in captain Jitesh Sharma won the last league-stage fixture with his whirlwind 33-ball 85* to secure a top-two finish for the franchise.

However, after ending their nearly two-decade-long trophy drought, the IPL 2025 winners, RCB, would look to build an even stronger side in a quest to defend their title in the following season. Considering Mayank’s current form with the willow, the player might find it difficult to retain his spot in the defending champions’ squad ahead of the IPL 2026 auction.