Royal Challengers Bengaluru enter the 2026 Indian Premier League season with a finalized roster following the mini-auction.
The RCB Team 2026 Players List provides complete clarity on player composition across all categories.
Squad finalization allows franchises to structure their team balance and identify tactical options.
The roster includes batters, wicket-keepers, all-rounders, and bowlers across overseas and Indian categories.
Want to know about the Royal Challengers Bengaluru Schedule for TATA IPL 2026? Then, do check out the official RCB Fixture IPL 2026.
RCB Team 2026 Players List
This article presents the complete squad breakdown, including role classifications, retention details, release information, and the remaining purse allocation.
All data reflects official post-auction confirmations.
Final RCB Team 2026 Players List
| Category | Player Name | Primary Role | Batting/Bowling Style |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wicket-Keepers | Phil Salt | WK-Batter | Right-hand |
| Jitesh Sharma | WK-Batter | Right-hand | |
| Jordan Cox | WK-Batter | Right-hand | |
| Batters | Virat Kohli | Batter | Right-hand |
| Rajat Patidar | Captain, Batter | Right-hand | |
| Devdutt Padikkal | Batter | Left-hand | |
| Tim David | Batter | Right-hand | |
| All-Rounders | Swapnil Singh | All-Rounder | Left-arm orthodox, Right-hand |
| Jacob Bethell | All-Rounder | Left-arm orthodox, Left-hand | |
| Abhinandan Singh | All-Rounder | Right-arm Medium Fast, Right-hand | |
| Krunal Pandya | All-Rounder | Left-hand Batter, Left-arm Orthodox | |
| Romario Shepherd | All-Rounder | Right-arm Medium Fast, Right-hand | |
| Rasikh Salam Dar | All-Rounder | Right-arm Fast, Right-hand | |
| Venkatesh Iyer | All-Rounder | Right-arm medium, left-hand bat | |
| Satvik Desal | All-Rounder | Slow Left-Arm Orthodox, Right-hand | |
| Vihaan Malhotra | All-Rounder | Left-hand bat, Right-Arm Off-break | |
| Kanishk Chouhan | All-Rounder | Right-hand bat, Right-Arm Off-break | |
| Bowlers | Bhuvneshwar Kumar | Bowler | Right-Arm Medium Fast |
| Yash Dayal | Bowler | Left-Arm Medium Fast | |
| Nuwan Thushara | Bowler | Right-Arm Medium Fast | |
| Josh Hazlewood | Bowler | Right-Arm Fast | |
| Suyash Sharma | Bowler | Right-arm Leg-break | |
| Jacob Duffy | Bowler | Right-Arm Medium Fast | |
| Mangesh Yadav | Bowler | Left-Arm Fast | |
| Vicky Ostwal | Bowler | Slow Left-Arm Orthodox |
RCB Team Details:
Royal Challengers Bengaluru compete in the Indian Premier League as one of the original franchises from the 2008 season.
The franchise operates from M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
The team has participated in all IPL seasons since its inception.
The RCB Squad List for IPL 2026 reflects their status as title holders following their championship win in the previous season.
Official Team Leadership Structure:
- Captain: Rajat Patidar
- Head Coach: Andy Flower
- Previous Season Finish: Champions
The franchise maintains continuity in leadership and coaching structure for the upcoming season. Squad composition balances overseas talent with Indian domestic players across batting, bowling, and all-rounder categories.
RCB IPL 2026 Retained Players List
| Player Name | Role | Retention Type |
|---|---|---|
| Rajat Patidar | Captain, Batter | Indian Core |
| Virat Kohli | Batter | Indian Core |
| Phil Salt | WK-Batter | Overseas Retain |
| Jitesh Sharma | WK-Batter | Indian Core |
| Krunal Pandya | All-Rounder | Indian Core |
| Tim David | All-Rounder | Overseas Retain |
| Josh Hazlewood | Bowler | Overseas Retain |
| Bhuvneshwar Kumar | Bowler | Indian Core |
| Suyash Sharma | Bowler | Indian Core |
| Jacob Bethell | All-Rounder | Overseas Retain |
RCB Released Players List for IPL 2026 (Official)
| Player Name | Release Reason |
|---|---|
| Liam Livingstone | Overseas slot reallocation |
| Lungisani Ngidi | Overseas restructuring |
| Manoj Bhandage | Squad optimization |
| Swastik Chhikara | Bench restructuring |
| Mayank Agarwal | Squad rebalancing |
| Mohit Rathee | Squad optimization |
RCB Purse Remaining & Auction Strategy for IPL 2026
Remaining Purse: ₹16.40 Crore | Total Slots Available: 8 | Overseas Slots: 2
Auction Priority Areas:
- Overseas all-rounder recruitment to replace the released slot
- Indian Express pacer addition for pace depth
- Lower middle-order finishing options
- Backup overseas fast bowler for rotation flexibility
- Bench depth across wicket-keeping and batting reserves
RCB Probable Squad for IPL 2026 (After Retentions)
| Role Group | Players |
|---|---|
| Top Order | Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Rajat Patidar |
| Middle Order | Tim David, Jitesh Sharma, Krunal Pandya, Devdutt Padikkal |
| All-Rounders | Jacob Bethell, Venkatesh Iyer, Romario Shepherd, Swapnil Singh, Abhinandan Singh, Rasikh Salam Dar, Satvik Desal, Vihaan Malhotra, Kanishk Chouhan |
| Pacers | Josh Hazlewood, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yash Dayal, Nuwan Thushara, Jacob Duffy, Mangesh Yadav |
| Spinners | Suyash Sharma, Krunal Pandya, Vicky Ostwal |
| Bench Options | Jordan Cox (WK), multiple all-rounder backups across categories |
Conclusion:
The RCB squad list for ipl 2026 confirms a 25-player roster distributed across batting, bowling, wicket-keeping, and all-rounder categories.
The franchise maintains championship-winning core players while adding depth through mini-auction acquisitions.
Retention strategy focused on leadership stability and experienced match-winners.
Release decisions created ₹16.40 crore purse space for targeted signings across eight available slots.
Squad Composition Summary:
- Leadership continuity with Rajat Patidar as captain and Andy Flower as head coach
- Balanced overseas distribution across batting, bowling, and all-rounder roles
- Indian core strengthened through pace and spin options
- Flexible bench depth for tactical rotation requirements
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