Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) boast of a strong line-up for IPL 2026 but have several weaknesses in the first phase of the league. While their batting remains the strong suit, be it the top or the middle-order, it is their bowling that reeks of less strength. RCB do not not have a problem of plenty as such when it comes to their batting unit.
The side has made minimal additions to their squad in the IPL 2026 mini-auction and has recruited just one Venkatesh Iyer for Rs 7 crore. However, their pace department is weakened, with Yash Dayal set to miss the entire season and Josh Hazlewood not cleared to play the first few games. Ahead of IPL 2026, let’s take a look at RCB’s predicted playing XI.
Predicted RCB playing XI for IPL 2026
PositionPlayerRole1.Phil SaltOpener2.Virat KohliOpener3.Devdutt PadikkalBatter4.Rajat Patidar (C)Batter5.Tim DavidAll-rounder6.Krunal PandyaAll-rounder7.Jitesh Sharma (WK)Keeper-batter8.Romario ShepherdAll-rounder9.Bhuvneshwar KumarFast-bowler10.Jacob DuffyFast-bowler11.Mangesh YadavFast-bowlerImpact player: Suyash SharmaAbsence of Hazlewood, Dayal
Josh finished as RCB’s leading wicket-taker in IPL 2025. With 22 wickets from 12 matches, Hazlewood was not only the spearhead of RCB’s pace department but was also their go-to bowler when the team needed wickets. He averaged 17.54 with the ball. However, he will not be available for the first few fixtures, as confirmed by head coach Andy Flower.
RCB will be further impacted by the unavailability of Yash Dayal. The left-arm fast bowler from Uttar Pradesh has been accused of sexual assault by two different women, one of whom was a minor at the time.
In their absence, RCB will be most likely forced to field Jacob Duffy and Mangesh Kumar – both of whom are inexperienced in the IPL. The team will be forced to tinker with their team combination until Hazlewood is ready to play, although he has already joined the camp ahead of IPL 2026.
Padikkal vs Iyer
Devdutt Padikkal missed out on the previous season due to an injury and was replaced by Mayank Agarwal. The southpaw has a phenomenal record in domestic white-ball cricket, boasting an envious average of 82.23 in ODIs and 32.32 in T20s. Iyer, on the other hand, had a miserable season in IPL 2025 where he failed to justify his hefty price tag and scored just 142 runs in 11 matches at an average of 20.28. Going by the recent form of both players, Padikkal is all but confirmed to be picked in RCB’s playing XI over Iyer.
RCB full squad for IPL 2026
Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar, Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Romario Shepherd, Jitesh Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yash Dayal, Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma, Abhinandan Singh, Jacob Bethell, Nuwan Thushara, Rasikh Dar, Swapnil Singh, Venkatesh Iyer, Jacob Duffy, Satvik Deswal, Mangesh Yadav, Jordan Cox, Vicky Otswal, Vihaan Malhotra, Kanishk Chouhan
Predicted RCB playing XI for IPL 2026: Venkatesh Iyer vs Devdutt Padikkal, weak pace unit inevitable Inside Sport India.
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