Royal Challengers Bangaluru | RCB Squad 2026, Retained Players, Auction Buys with Price and Released Players Lists

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) is one of the most popular franchises in IPL. They were the runners up in 2009, 2011, and 2016 before winning their first title at IPL 2025. RCB have been the home of great players such as Virat Kohli, who is still their highest run scorer and one of the most consistent players in the league.

Royal Challengers Bangalore retained the likes of Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Phil Salt and Krunal Pandya ahead of IPL 2026 to keep core consistency. At 2026 auction, they signed Venkatesh Iyer for ₹7 crore and Jacob Duffy, Mangesh Yadav to reinforce their pace attack. The RCB squad is a blend of experienced internationals and young raring talent, all put together to defend the title and create a fresh brand of winning.

RCB Squad 2026: Overview

• Team Name – Royal Challengers Bangalore
• Nick Name – RCB
• Founded – 2008
• RCB Founder- United Spirits Limited (Diageo India)
• Home Ground – M. Chinnaswamy Stadium
• Captain (2026) – Rajat Patidar
• Mentor – Dinesh Karthik
• Head Coach –Andy Flower
• Bowling Coach –Omkar Salvi
• Batting Coach – Dinesh Karthik
• Fielding Coach – Malolan Rangarajan
• IPL Title Won – 1 times (IPL Season 2025)
• Signature Slogan – Ee Sala Cup Namde
• Amount Spend – INR 124.75 crore
• Initial Purse (2026) – INR 16.40 crore
• Key Players – Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Phil salt, Josh Hazlewood, Tim David

RCB Squad 2026: Player Name, Type, Country and Purchased Price

S No	Player Name	Player Type	Country	Purchased Price
1	Rajat Patidar (c)	Wicketkeeper/ Batter	India	Rs11.00 crore
2	Virat Kohli	Batter	India	Rs21.00 crore
3	Devdutt Padikkal	Batter	India	Rs2.00 crore
4	Phil Salt	Batter	England	Rs11.50 crore
5	Jitesh Sharma	Wicketkeeper/ Batter	India	Rs11.00 crore
6	Krunal Pandya	All-Rounder	India	Rs05.75 crore
7	Swapnil Singh	All-Rounder	India	Rs0.50 crore
8	Tim David	All-Rounder	Australia	Rs3.00 crore
9	Romario Shepherd	All-Rounder	West Indies	Rs1.50 crore
10	Jacob Bethell	All-Rounder	England	Rs2.60 crore
11	Josh Hazlewood	Bowler	Australia	Rs12.50 crore
12	Yash Dayal	Bowler	India	Rs05.00 crore
13	Bhuvneshwar Kumar	Bowler	India	Rs10.75 crore
14	Nuwan Thushara	Bowler	Sri Lanka	Rs01.60 crore
15	Rasikh Salam	Bowler	India	Rs6.00 crore
16	Abhinandan Singh	Bowler	India	Rs0.03 crore
17	Suyash Sharma	Bowler	India	Rs2.60 crore
18	Venkatesh Iyer	All-Rounder	India	Rs07.00 crore
19	Jacob Duffy	Bowler	New Zealand	Rs2.00 crore
20	Mangesh Yadav	All-Rounder	India	Rs05.20 crore
21	Satvik Deswal	All-Rounder	India	Rs0.30 crore
22	Jordan Cox	Batter	England	Rs0.75 crore
23	Vicky Ostwal	All-Rounder	India	Rs0.30 crore
24	Vihaan Malhotra	All-Rounder	India	Rs0.30 crore
25	Kanishk Chouhan	All-Rounder	India	Rs0.30 crore

RCB Retained Players 2026 and Auction Price

S No	Player Name	Player Type	Country	Purchased Price
1	Rajat Patidar (c)	Wicketkeeper/ Batter	India	Rs11.00 crore
2	Virat Kohli	Batter	India	Rs21.00 crore
3	Devdutt Padikkal	Batter	India	Rs2.00 crore
4	Phil Salt	Batter	Overseas	Rs11.50 crore
5	Jitesh Sharma	Wicketkeeper/ Batter	India	Rs11.00 crore
6	Krunal Pandya	All-Rounder	India	Rs05.75 crore
7	Swapnil Singh	All-Rounder	India	Rs0.50 crore
8	Tim David	All-Rounder	Overseas	Rs3.00 crore
9	Romario Shepherd	All-Rounder	Overseas	Rs1.50 crore
10	Jacob Bethell	All-Rounder	Overseas	Rs2.60 crore
11	Josh Hazlewood	Bowler	Overseas	Rs12.50 crore
12	Yash Dayal	Bowler	India	Rs05.00 crore
13	Bhuvneshwar Kumar	Bowler	India	Rs10.75 crore
14	Nuwan Thushara	Bowler	Overseas	Rs01.60 crore
15	Rasikh Salam	Bowler	India	Rs6.00 crore
16	Abhinandan Singh	Bowler	India	Rs0.03 crore
17	Suyash Sharma	Bowler	India	Rs2.60 crore

Players Bought at Auction 2025 (for IPL 2026)

S No	Player Name	Player Type	Country	Purchased Price
18	Venkatesh Iyer	All-Rounder	India	Rs07.00 crore
19	Jacob Duffy	Bowler	New Zealand	Rs2.00 crore
20	Mangesh Yadav	All-Rounder	India	Rs05.20 crore
21	Satvik Deswal	All-Rounder	India	Rs0.30 crore
22	Jordan Cox	Batter	England	Rs0.75 crore
23	Vicky Ostwal	All-Rounder	India	Rs0.30 crore
24	Vihaan Malhotra	All-Rounder	India	Rs0.30 crore
25	Kanishk Chouhan	All-Rounder	India	Rs0.30 crore

RCB Released Players (Ahead of IPL Auction 2025)

Before the mini-auction, RCB had released a few players to make space on the purse and give their schedules some breathing room. Included among them were a few well-known names, known nationally or internationally.

This was to free these players and plan the new talent in with the RCB or restructuring of the squad according to requirements needed for 2026.

Squad Dynamics & Strategic Insights

• Core Leadership & Experience
• Virat Kohli still is unchallengeably the face of RCB – a batting bulwark with unparalleled IPl consistency.
• Rajat Patidar remains the skipper, after leading the team in their title-winning run.

Overseas Strength

• RCB held on surface to Phil Salt, Tim David, Romario Shepherd and Josh Hazlewood — depth in both batting and bowling.
• Bowling & All-Round Balance
• There is a mix of youth and experience in the bowling line-up with bowlers like Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yash Dayal, and Jacob Duffy to be accompanied by all-rounders Krunal Pandya and Venkatesh Iyer.

Final Thoughts

The RCB 2026 team represents a sensibly-constructed idea, nurturing the following: Championship continuity — keep a championship core. Strategic bolstering — savvy auction purchases strengthening position groups. and Well-rounded XI — an inherent blend of batting firepower, backup pace and bowling options as they try to defend their 2025 crown.