Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) are one win away from topping the IPL 2026 points table, but they face a stern test in the form of a resilient KKR. Rajat Patidar and co. cliched a nail-biting 2 wicket win against Mumbai Indians, thanks to Krunal Pandya’s heroics with the bat. The game against KKR on Wednesday will be the second for RCB in their new home ground Raipur, and they won’t be willing to tinker with their playing XI, with the exception of perhaps using Venkatesh Iyer as an impact player to increase their batting depth.
Predicted RCB playing XI vs KKR
Jacob Bethell, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (C), Venkatesh Iyer, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Rasikh Dar
Impact player: Romario Shepherd
Phil Salt, who returned to England for scans, is yet to completely recover and hence will miss the game against KKR. This means, Jacob Bethell gets another opportunity, which he will want to make the most of. The England batter has managed to score just 70 runs in 5 matches, with a highest score of 27, and has been a big let down for RCB in IPL 2026. Bethell has so far failed to deliver in the absence of Salt. The onus will also be on Virat Kohli, who registered his second consecutive duck in the game against MI. It will be imperative for the RCB veteran to stand and deliver against KKR at the top of the order, especially at this crucial stage of the tournament where every win matters for the side.
While Devdutt will continue to bat at number 3 and captain Patidar at 4, it remains to be seen if the team will want to use Venkatesh Iyer in the game to boost their batting line-up. After all, Jitesh Sharma has looked out of touch in this season (82 runs from 11 matches). As a result, the team has been heavily reliant on Tim David and Krunal Pandya. Therefore, the team could use Venky as an impact player and replace him with Romario Shepherd when they are bowling.
Bowling has been one of RCB’s stengths in IPL 2026, with Bhuvneshwar Kumar spearheading the pace unit. Shepherd, who failed with the bat in the previous game, has done decent with the ball so far, and therefore is expected to make it to the line-up when the team bowls.
Rasikh Dar will play the third fiddle to Bhuvi and Hazlewood while the team also has the option of using Tim David. Suyash Sharma will be the lone specialist spinner in the playing XI.
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