Everything went right for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. It all started at the auction table in Jeddah last year. RCB planned the retentions and buys as well as they could. The result is a maiden IPL title run.
This means that come the IPL 2026 auction, there won’t be much chopping and changing. Players, both foreign and Indian, have succeeded in their respective roles. And even the backups have come in and performed.
Swastik Chikara, Manoj Bhandage, Mohit Rathee, Abhinandan Singh, and Swapnil Singh played one match between them, but they are good low-cost backups and releasing them doesn’t make much sense. All the other players in the squad have done well.
But RCB might release a couple of players. For starters, they already have two slots they can fill with domestic players. But by releasing two players worth around Rs 15 crore, RCB can further strengthen their squad.
Players RCB might release before IPL 2026 auction
| Player | Attribute | Price | Stats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rasikh Salam Dar | Fast bowler | Rs 6 crore | 1 wicket (2 innings, 70 average, 11.66 economy) |
| Liam Livingstone✈️ | All-rounder | Rs 8.75 crore | 112 runs (8 innings, 16 average, 133.33 strike rate) 2 wickets (5 innings, 38 average, 8.44 economy) |
The first release will be Rasikh Salam Dar. The talented fast bowler was acquired for Rs 6 crore after an interesting IPL 2024 season. On talent alone, Rs 6 crore was worth it for the Kashmiri pacer. But the result hasn’t been great. Seen as a natural wicket-taker, Rasikh didn’t impress in that department. And he never has been economical and if he can’t take wickets in the middle overs, RCB doesn’t have much use for him.
Liam Livingstone could be the second release. The English all-rounder bowled just 9 overs. And neither his average nor his strike rate was good enough to justify a spot. Had Tim David, Josh Hazlewood, and Jacob Bethell been available for all matches, Livingstone may not have even played 10 matches. RCB can release him and get Rs 8.75 crore back. Then came acquiring another all-rounder or perhaps getting Livingstone back for a cheaper rate.
RCB squad before IPL 2026
Batters: Phil Salt✈️, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Mayank Agarwal, Rajat Patidar (c), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David✈️, Swastik Chikara
All-rounders: Liam Livingstone✈️, Romario Shepherd✈️, Krunal Pandya, Jacob Bethell✈️, Manoj Bhandage, Mohit Rathee
Bowlers: Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yash Dayal, Josh Hazlewood✈️, Lungi Ngidi✈️, Suyash Sharma, Rasikh Dar Salam, Swapnil Singh, Nuwan Thushara✈️, Abhinandan Singh
