RCB Squad 2026: Full player list after IPL 2026 auction

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) finally put an end to their 18-year-long wait by securing their maiden IPL title in 2025. Under Rajat Patidar’s captaincy, RCB fans finally got to witness their beloved team lifting the glittering IPL trophy for the first time. Now, in the upcoming 2026 season, eyes will be on them regarding their approach to defending the title.

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Before the recently concluded IPL 2026 mini-auction, RCB retained 17 players and entered the auction with an available purse of INR 16.4 crore, with a maximum of eight slots to be filled. They added eight more players to form a strong 25-member squad for the next season.

Among them, Venkatesh Iyer’s name grabbed headlines as RCB spent INR 7 crore to acquire his services. Last season, despite being named the vice-captain of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Iyer endured a poor season. As a result, KKR did not retain him, but RCB showed faith in him for the upcoming campaign.

RCB also bagged New Zealand’s 31-year-old pacer Jacob Duffy. He is expected to be a backup option for Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood, who played a crucial role in their title-winning campaign in 2025. If Hazlewood faces any fitness concerns, Duffy could step in to fill his role.

RCB also spent INR 5.2 crore on Magesh Yadav, showing significant faith in his potential. Meanwhile, just like Mumbai Indians’ Rohit Sharma, eyes will be on RCB’s Virat Kohli as the veteran batter is set to once again lead the batting line-up, which also includes quality options like Rajat Patidar, Devdutt Padikkal, Phil Salt, Jitesh Sharma, Tim David, and others.

RCB full squad for IPL 2026

Retained players

Rajat Patidar (c), Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Phil Salt, Jitesh Sharma, Krunal Pandya, Swapnil Singh, Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Jacob Bethell, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Nuwan Thushara, Rasikh Salam, Abhinandan Singh, and Suyash Sharma.

Players bought in the auction 

Venkatesh Iyer (7 cr), Mangesh Yadav (5.2 cr), Jacob Duffy (2 cr), Satwik Deswal (30 L), Jordan Cox (75 L), Vihaan Malhotra (30 L), Kanishk Chouhan (30 L), Vicky Ostwal (30 L).

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