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Royal Challengers Bengaluru enter IPL 2026 as defending champions — winners of their maiden IPL title in 2025 after 17 heartbreaking seasons of near-misses. Under captain Rajat Patidar and head coach Andy Flower, the squad has been maintained with remarkable stability. ESPNcricinfo described their squad depth as "overwhelming" after their intra-squad practice match in March 2026, where Jitesh Sharma struck 81 off 37 balls and Patidar himself blazed 74 off just 25. The question is simple: can they make history and defend the title?
🏏 Practice form: In RCB's intra-squad warm-up match on March 22, 2026, Team Krunal chased down 235 to beat Team Venky (234/7) at Chinnaswamy. Jitesh Sharma top-scored with 81(37), Rajat Patidar hit 74(25), and Virat Kohli blazed 29 off 12 balls before being dismissed — showing he is "attacking from ball one" according to team sources.
FULL RCB SQUAD 2026
ROYAL CHALLENGERS BENGALURU — FULL SQUAD 2026
| Player | Role | Nationality |
|---|---|---|
| Rajat Patidar (c) | Batter | India |
| Virat Kohli | Batter | India |
| Phil Salt (wk) | WK-Batter | England |
| Devdutt Padikkal | Batter | India |
| Jitesh Sharma (wk) | WK-Batter | India |
| Tim David | Batter | Singapore |
| Venkatesh Iyer | All-rounder | India |
| Krunal Pandya | All-rounder | India |
| Jacob Bethell | All-rounder | England |
| Romario Shepherd | All-rounder | West Indies |
| Josh Hazlewood | Fast Bowler | Australia |
| Bhuvneshwar Kumar | Fast Bowler | India |
| Nuwan Thushara | Fast Bowler | Sri Lanka |
| Yash Dayal | Fast Bowler | India |
| Suyash Sharma | Leg Spinner | India |
| Rasikh Dar Salam | Fast Bowler | India |
| Jacob Duffy | Fast Bowler | New Zealand |
| Swapnil Singh | All-rounder | India |
| Mangesh Yadav | Fast Bowler | India |
| Abhinandan Singh | Fast Bowler | India |
| Jordan Cox | Batter/WK | England |
| Satwik Deswal | All-rounder | India |
| Vihaan Malhotra | All-rounder | India |
| Kanishk Chouhan | All-rounder | India |
| Vicky Ostwal | Spinner | India |
BEST PLAYING XI — OUR PREDICTION
ESPNcricinfo's projected best XII for RCB in 2026: Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Venkatesh Iyer, Rajat Patidar (c), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Suyash Sharma, Josh Hazlewood (with Yash Dayal or Nuwan Thushara as the 12th). This is a batting unit with extraordinary depth — every position from 1 to 8 can score at a high strike rate, and there is genuine quality in reserve.
STRENGTHS: WHY RCB CAN DEFEND
1. Batting Depth: The combination of Virat Kohli's technique, Phil Salt's explosive powerplay hitting, Tim David's unmatched death-hitting, and Jitesh Sharma's late acceleration is extraordinary. ESPNcricinfo noted that RCB brought in Venkatesh Iyer at just ₹7 crore — a fraction of what he cost KKR — and he adds genuine middle-order solidity. The depth means even losing 3 early wickets is not catastrophic.
2. Josh Hazlewood at full fitness: Hazlewood's 22 wickets in the 2025 title-winning campaign made him the tournament's best overseas pacer. Combined with Bhuvneshwar Kumar's swing and Krunal Pandya's middle-over control, RCB have a bowling attack that can defend any total.
3. Home ground advantage: M. Chinnaswamy Stadium — one of the smallest grounds in the IPL with short boundaries — strongly favours RCB's batting-heavy philosophy. They will play 5 of their 7 home games there.
WEAKNESSES & CONCERNS
1. Yash Dayal's availability: The fast bowler was not seen at practice sessions ahead of IPL 2026, raising availability questions. Jacob Duffy is his cover, but losing Dayal would weaken the seam-bowling attack.
2. Spin bowling depth: Beyond Krunal Pandya and Suyash Sharma, RCB's spin options look thin. On turning tracks outside Bengaluru, this could be exploited.
"Head coach Andy Flower said the squad had strengthened through the auction cycle and reiterated the side's ambition to defend the title."
— ESPNcricinfo, March 2026OUR VERDICT
RCB are our pre-season favourites for IPL 2026 and our top-ranked squad heading into the tournament. The combination of the world's best T20 batter in Virat Kohli, the most explosive opener in Phil Salt, a bowling attack anchored by Josh Hazlewood, and the settled, championship-winning chemistry of a squad that has been together since 2024, makes them the team to beat. Only Mumbai Indians' five-title pedigree and CSK's batting depth give us genuine pause. Everything else points to RCB. 🔴
