Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) enter the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) with a unique challenge—they must defend their first-ever title. After an historic win last year under captain Rajat Patidar, ending an 18-year wait, RCB has chosen continuity over change. They have kept most of their championship-winning squad and made targeted additions during the auction.
At the mini-auction, RCB signed all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer for ₹7 crore and New Zealand pacer Jacob Duffy as backup for Josh Hazlewood. However, they released Liam Livingstone, Lungi Ngidi, and Mayank Agarwal. Two key issues remain: Josh Hazlewood is likely to miss early games due to injury, and Yash Dayal has not played since the 2025 IPL final due to legal issues.
RCB recently sold for $1.78 billion (₹16,660 crore), making them the most expensive franchise in IPL history. The new owners are a consortium led by the Aditya Birla Group, including the Times of India Group, Blackstone, and Bolt Ventures. The deal includes both the men’s and women’s teams.
The franchise has also secured major commercial deals for the 2026 season. Nothing is the new title sponsor, replacing Qatar Airways, while Sun Pharma signed a three-year principal sponsorship deal. Nandini, from Karnataka Milk Federation, joined as the official dairy partner in a ₹4 crore deal.
Virat Kohli remains the heart of RCB’s batting order. Opening with Phil Salt, he and Padikkal form a strong partnership. Captain Rajat Patidar anchors the middle order, while Tim David excels in death overs. The bowling lineup includes Josh Hazlewood, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Yash Dayal, butHazlewood might miss early games.
With Yash Dayal unavailable, Mangesh Yadav could debut in RCB’s opener against Sunrisers Hyderabad on 28 March. Whether RCB can join Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings as back-to-back IPL champions will be the highlight of 2026.