As the countdown to the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 begins, there are already concerns mounting around a few players from the defending champions, Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) squad. With high expectations, RCB’s squad depth and player consistency is likely to be under scrutiny with poor form and lack of T20 experience in the recent present.
As we look at the five players who are in poor form ahead of IPL 2026, one of the biggest points is inconsistency in the middle order. Despite flashes of brilliance, several RCB players have repeatedly failed to convert good starts. With only a few countable days left for the upcoming edition, let’s delve into the five players who are in poor form going into the season.
5 RCB players who are in poor form ahead of IPL 2026
Phil Salt
2025 was one of Salt’s most prolific years in T20Is for the Three Lions as he became England’s fifth-highest run-getter in the shortest format. Moreover, in September 2025, Salt even registered the highest individual T20I score by an England batter in a match against South Africa, thus putting up notable contributions for his national side. But in T20 World Cup 2026, Salt’s performance saw a dip despite high expectations from the side, as he could only score 125 runs from 7 matches at an average of 17.86.
Jacob Bethell
England all-rounder Jacob Bethell’s 2025-26 T20 season was marked by significant strides in both international as well as franchise cricket. With an aggressive batting approach and occasional spin bowling, Bethell has scored at a levelled pace, scoring over 500 T20I runs at an average of close to 27-28. Although, the English side had high expectations from Bethell going into the T20 World Cup 2026, he has so far got only 175 runs to his name across 7 innings.
While he played an impactful counter-attacking innings of 55 off 35 balls against Nepal in the T20 World Cup 2026, he has failed to consistently put runs on the board and hasn’t proven himself with the ball either.
Venkatesh Iyer
Out-of-favour Indian all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer had an underwhelming franchise season in IPL 2025 where he failed to justify his price tag of INR Rs 23.75 crore as he could score only 142 runs across 11 matches for KKR. As a result, the franchise let go off his services, especially after seeing him struggle for consistency. But Iyer however rediscovered his power-hitting credentials in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) 2025-26 and as a result, eventually found a new buyer in the IPL 2026 auction in the form of RCB.
Romario Shepherd
One of the most-talked about players in the West Indies colours is Romario Shepherd, who indeed started his T20 World Cup 2026 campaign on a high note, picking a hat-trick against Scotland and becoming the first from the country to do so in the tournament’s history. Known to bring in valuable contributions lower-down the order and handy bowling experience, Shepherd has failed to maintain that consistency. Although, he was explosive in the middle order in CPL, but his international appearance off-late hasn’t been at par.
The Windies all-rounder scored only 80 runs in the T20 World Cup 2026 from five matches, whereas he picked up six wickets in as many matches while conceding 83 runs.
Tim David
Tim David continued to be one of the most destructive short-format batters in 2025 for Australia. While he delivered several high-impact innings, where he smashed 83 off 52 ball against South Africa and also recorded the fastest T20I hundred for the Aussies, his year-end was marred with injury. As a result, the all-rounder missed BBL 2025-26 and also missed the initial stage of T20 World Cup 2026. His form was also questionable as he could only score 6 runs in three matches, thus putting a lot of questions and doubting his performance with the IPL 2026 ahead.
RCB IPL 2026 Squad
Batters: Rajat Patidar, Devdutt Padikkal, Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Jitesh Sharma, Jordan Cox
All-rounders: Krunal Pandya, Swapnil Singh, Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Jacob Bethell, Venkatesh Iyer, Satvik Deswal, Mangesh Yadav, Vicky Ostwal, Vihaan Malhotra, Kanishk Chouhan
Bowlers: Josh Hazlewood, Rasikh Dar, Suyash Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Nuwan Thushara, Abhinandan Singh, Jacob Duffy, Yash Dayal.
5 RCB players who are in poor form ahead of IPL 2026 Inside Sport India.
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