The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have their final squad. At the IPL 2026 Auction, RCB added 8 players, with Venkatesh Iyer becoming their most expensive buy at Rs 7 Cr. The defending champions also paid a lofty price of Rs 5.20 Crore for uncapped MP all-rounder Mangesh Yadav. They also added Kiwi pacer Jacob Duffy as a cover for Josh Hazlewood.
Ahead of the auction, RCB retained a total of 17 players. They had released eight players and had as many slots remaining for the auction, including two overseas slots.
Venkatesh Iyer headlines RCB auction
RCB were the losing bid against KKR’s Rs 23.75 at last year’s mega auction. They were hugely interested in the Madhya Pradesh all-rounder and now have finally got him for just Rs 7 crore. Many predicted Venky to go for an expensive amount. However, the defending champions now have a capped batting option, who would preferably slot in at number three. He can bowl as well, an aspect which KKR didn’t use at all.
Having played 5 seasons with KKR, Venkatesh was part of the IPL 2024 winning team and has a total of 1468 runs at a strike rate of 137.32. RCB’s second buy at the auction proved to be a backup for Hazlewood in Jacob Duffy. For those unaware, Duffy is the most successful international bowler with 72 wickets in this calendar year.
Players bought by RCB in IPL 2026 auction
| Player | Country | Type | Price (INR) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Venkatesh Iyer | India | Batting all-rounder | Rs 7 crore |
| Jacob Duffy | New Zealand | Pacer ✈️ | Rs 2 crore |
| Satvik Deswal | India | All-rounder | Rs 30 L |
| Mangesh Yadav | India | All-rounder | Rs 5.20 Cr |
| Jordan Cox | England | WK-Batter ✈️ | Rs 75 L |
| Vicky Ostwal | India | All-rounder | Rs 30 L |
| Vihaan Malhotra | India | All-rounder | Rs 30 L |
| Kanishk Chouhan | India | All-rounder | Rs 30 L |
RCB full squad for IPL 2026
Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar, Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Romario Shepherd, Jitesh Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yash Dayal, Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma, Abhinandan Singh, Jacob Bethell, Nuwan Thushara, Rasikh Dar, Swapnil Singh, Venkatesh Iyer, Jacob Duffy, Satvik Deswal, Mangesh Yadav, Jordan Cox, Vicky Otswal, Vihaan Malhotra, Kanishk Chouhan
RCB retention list for IPL 2026
Batters retained by RCB
| Player | IPL 2026 price (INR) |
|---|---|
| Virat Kohli | 21 crore |
| Rajat Patidar | 11 crore |
| Phil Salt ✈️ | 11.50 crore |
| Devdutt Padikkal | 2 crore |
| Jacob Bethell ✈️ | 2.60 crore |
| Jitesh Sharma | 11 crore |
| Tim David ✈️ | 3 crore |
All-rounders retained by RCB
| Player | IPL 2026 price (INR) |
|---|---|
| Krunal Pandya | 5.75 crore |
| Romario Shepherd ✈️ | 1.50 crore |
Bowlers retained by RCB
| Player | IPL 2026 price (INR) |
|---|---|
| Josh Hazlewood ✈️ | 12.50 crore |
| Bhuvneshwar Kumar | 10.75 crore |
| Rasikh Dar | 6 crore |
| Yash Dayal | 5 crore |
| Suyash Sharma | 2.60 crore |
| Nuwan Thushara ✈️ | 1.60 crore |
| Swapnil Singh | 50 lakh |
| Abhinandan Singh | 30 lakh |
RCB released Players List before IPL 2026 auction
- Liam Livingstone, Swastik Chikara, Tim Seifert, Manoj Bhandage, Lungi Ngidi, Blessing Muzarabani, Mohit Rathee, Mayank Agarwal
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