Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) are entering IPL 2026 with the majority of their title-winning team with them. The retention deadline was November 15, 2025, and the mini-auction took place on December 15–16. The team’s plan was to keep its core together and release only a few players to create purse space. Their primary goal was to strengthen the fast bowling attack around Josh Hazlewood.
Under Rajat Patidar, RCB won the IPL 2025, ending their 18-year title drought. The achievement followed a big reset in which Glenn Maxwell, Mohammed Siraj, and Faf du Plessis were freed prior to the 2025 mega auction.
RCB Retention Approach for IPL 2026
For the 2026 IPL, RCB retention approach included retaining players like Rajat Patidar, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Tim David, Phil Salt, Jitesh Sharma, Jacob Bethell, Krunal Pandya, Romario Shepherd, Abhinandan Singh, Josh Hazlewood, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rasikh Salam, Suyash Sharma, Swapnil Singh, Nuwan Thushara, and Yash Dayal.
Rajat Patidar stays as captain after scoring 312 runs and leading RCB to their first title. Virat Kohli remains central to the team after scoring 657 runs with eight fifties. Devdutt Padikkal, who made 247 runs before getting injured, is part of the top-order plans. Phil Salt is retained because he scored 403 runs at a very high strike rate, and Jitesh Sharma stays for his 261 runs and steady wicketkeeping.
Tim David stays after scoring quick runs with a strike rate of 185.14. Krunal Pandya remains important with 17 wickets and his Player of the Match performance in the final. Romario Shepherd stays after his 291.66 strike rate and his 14-ball fifty.
The full bowling attack from 2025 is also kept. Josh Hazlewood remains the lead pacer with 22 wickets. Bhuvneshwar Kumar keeps his place with 17 wickets and powerplay control. Suyash Sharma stays as a middle-overs spinner. Yash Dayal remains part of the setup after taking 13 wickets and handling pressure situations well.
| Player | Role |
| Rajat Patidar | Batter |
| Virat Kohli | Batter |
| Devdutt Padikkal | Batter |
| Tim David | All-rounder |
| Phil Salt | Wicketkeeper-Batter |
| Jitesh Sharma | Wicketkeeper-Batter |
| Jacob Bethell | All-rounder |
| Krunal Pandya | All-rounder (Spinner) |
| Romario Shepherd | All-rounder |
| Abhinandan Singh | Batter |
| Josh Hazlewood | Pacer |
| Bhuvneshwar Kumar | Pacer |
| Rasikh Salam | Pacer |
| Suyash Sharma | Spinner |
| Swapnil Singh | All-rounder (Spinner) |
| Nuwan Thushara | Pacer |
| Yash Dayal | Pacer |
List of Players RCB has Released
To increase their purse for the auction, RCB has released Swastik Chikara, Mayank Agarwal, Tim Seifert, Liam Livingstone, Manoj Bhandage, Lungi Ngidi, Blessing Muzarabani, and Mohit Rathee.
Livingstone is the biggest name in this group because RCB already has Tim David and Romario Shepherd covering the same role. Livingstone cost INR 8.75 crore at the 2025 auction. He scored 112 runs in eight innings for RCB with one fifty. His strike rate was 133.33. He bowled nine overs and took two wickets at an economy of 8.44. After IPL 2025, he performed well in the Hundred and the T20 Blast, but RCB feels they have enough finishers.
| Player | Role |
| Swastik Chikara | Batter |
| Mayank Agarwal | Batter |
| Tim Seifert | Wicketkeeper-Batter |
| Liam Livingstone | All-rounder |
| Manoj Bhandage | All-rounder |
| Lungi Ngidi | Pacer |
| Blessing Muzarabani | Pacer |
| Mohit Rathee | All-rounder (Spinner) |
FAQs
Q. Which players will RCB release in IPL 2026?
A. RCB has released Liam Livingstone for IPL 2026. This comes after he was signed for INR 8.75 crore and the team decided to move on from him before the next auction.
Q. Is Virat Kohli leaving RCB in 2025?
A. Virat Kohli is not leaving RCB in 2025. His place in the team is secure, and reports suggesting he is quitting or retiring are incorrect.
Q. Who is the captain of RCB in 2025?
A. Rajat Patidar is the RCB captain in 2025. Andy Flower is the head coach.
Q. Who is the RCB mentor in 2025?
A. Dinesh Karthik is the batting coach and mentor for RCB in 2025.
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