IPL Auction | Defending Champions RCB look to strengthen power-packed starting lineup with key backups

‌It took 18 seasons for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru side to turn the ‘Ee Saala Cup Namde’ chant into a reality on the field when they won the Indian Premier League title earlier this year. The team, which had a history of packing the eleven with powerful batters up top, for once thought refreshingly different before coming up with an excellent auction strategy during the mega auction before IPL 2025. They bolstered their bowling lineup, which could hold its own even on a high-scoring venue like the Chinnaswamy Stadium, acquiring Josh Hazlewood, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Krunal Pandya. A side which was criticised for not retaining Mohammed Siraj and Will Jacks was finally vindicated for its retentions and signings at the auction table. With the bowling department fixed with names who could be brought in at any phase of the game, the side focused on partnering Virat Kohli with an explosive batter like Phil Salt. They even packed the middle with big and powerful hitters like Tim David and Romario Shepherd, who played their roles to the tee, as new captain Rajat Patidar broke the jinx.

If winning a title is difficult, the Bengaluru-based outfit would now realise how it is even harder to defend it. Only two sides, Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians, have managed so in the 18-year history of the tournament. RCB will have that in mind as they go into the IPL 2026 mini auction with a purse of INR 16.40 crores. With the core of the team remaining unchanged, the focus will now shift to building the much-needed bench strength, with eight more signings (two foreigners) to be made. Let us see what can keep the champions ticking in the upcoming season as well.

Top order

1 Virat Kohli 2 Phil Salt 3 Devdutt Padikkal

Backup(s): Jacob Bethell

RCB are pretty much sorted with their top order, with Salt complementing former captain Virat Kohli’s game exceptionally. The wicketkeeper-batter had 403 runs in the last campaign at an impressive strike rate of 175.98 to go with Virat Kohli’s yet another 600-plus season at an average of 54.75 and a strike rate of 144.71. They performed consistently as a pair as RCB averaged 46.22 in the powerplay, hitting at 154.07, with Rajasthan Royals being the only side that has done better together on both fronts.

At three, Devdutt Padikkal looks to have sealed his spot, though he missed the business end of the tourney with injury. The southpaw has impressively tweaked his batting post his horror show with Lucknow Super Giants in the last season to show an appetite for quick runs, striking at above 150. With Jacob Bethell already waiting in the wings for a breakthrough, the side is expected to add depth with a domestic signing and use their foreign slots lower down the order.

Potential Targets: Anmolpreet Singh, Prithvi Shaw or Aman Rao, who scored a stylish half-century for Hyderabad against Mumbai in the Super League of the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, are some of the backup options. And if the side still decides to use one of the remaining foreign slots in the top order, then they have Rachin Ravindra, Devon Conway and Jake Fraser McGurk, or if they are also looking for a backup wicketkeeper, then Finn Allen or Jonny Bairstow might also fit in. 

Middle Order

4 Rajat Patidar 5 Tim David 6 Jitesh Sharma 7 Romario Shepherd 8 Krunal Pandya

Backup(s(: Rasikh Dar, Swapnil Singh

RCB’s middle order was stacked with pinch hitters, and they cumulatively stood out in the death overs during their victorious campaign. Though Rajat Patidar had a quiet season with the bat, averaging just 24 and striking at 143.77, you could perhaps put it down to this being his his first campaign as captain. Nevertheless, Tim David, Jitesh Sharma, and Romario Shepherd more than made up for that with their collective assault. The trio, in that order, averaged 37.28, 62.33 and 35.00, while striking at 176.35, 185.14 and 291.66, respectively.

Unsurprisingly, RCB had the second-best strike rate in the death, hitting at 174.63 between overs 15 and 20. All of them had game-changing knocks to their name, with all those coming when the team required it the most. Jitesh’s knocks against Lucknow and a cameo in the final, David’s innings in Chennai and Shepherd’s blitzkrieg in the reverse fixture all took the team to crucial wins.

But with the release of Liam Livingstone, the bench looks very pale with only Rasikh Dar and Swapnil Singh in attendance. The side can try going for Abhinav Manohar, who will be a good fit in the middle order and played a similar role with his earlier franchise, Sunrisers Hyderabad. Another interesting choice is Punjab wicketkeeper-batter Salil Arora, who has had an excellent Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy this year with 266 runs at an average of 66.50 and a strike rate of 206.20. Among foreign players, David Miller, with his experience in the tournament and Matthew Short, with his ability to bowl the off-spinners, will help offset the absence of Livingstone.

Possible Targets: Abhinav Manohar, Salil Arora, David Miller, Matthew Short

Bowling Attack

9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar 10 Josh Hazlewood 11 Yash Dayal 12 Suyash Sharma

Backups: Abhinandan Singh/ Nuwan Thushara

As discussed earlier, the all-phase pace bowling unit transformed the side into a champion outfit. In Bhuvneshwar, Yash Dayal and Hazlewood, the side boasted of one of the best new-ball units while also being effective at the death. The Bengaluru outfit finished at the top of the charts for wickets, economy, average and strike rate in the powerplay. In fact, they were the only team in the league to have an economy below nine (8.73) and an average of under 30 (29.11).

In the death too, the trio ensured that RCB fared decently with the ball, ranking fourth with an economy of 10.57. Though Hazlewood missed a few matches in between, he finished as the highest wicket-taker for RCB, third overall, with 22 scalps in 12 games, while Krunal Pandya and Bhuvneshwar picked up 17 wickets apiece.

However, Yash Dayal's involvement in the season may be curtailed due to ongoing legal proceedings and with Josh Hazlewood battling injury with the T20 World Cup on the horizon, backups could do them good. From a domestic perspective, Akash Deep, who has already played with the side in the past, may be a good choice alongside Jammu and Kashmir pacer Auqib Nabi, who is in the midst of a good SMAT season. If the side is left with foreign slots, Gerald Coetzee and Anrich Nortje may be suitable options, with the pair capable of making batters uncomfortable with their tearaway pace. Among spinners, Rahul Chahar and Karn Sharma may be added to the roster alongside Suyash Sharma, while left-arm spinners Kumar Kartikeya and Tanay Thyagarajan will help the side complete the spin attack.

Possible Targets: Akash Deep, Auqib Nabi, Ashok Sharma, Rahul Chahar, Karn Sharma