IPL 2026 Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) Likely Retained Players List Revealed

Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Cricalytics, Cricket, Cricket News, Indian Premier League, Indian Premier League 2026, IPL, IPL 2026, Jitesh Sharma, Josh Hazlewood, Phil Salt, Rajat Patidar, RCB, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, T20 Cricket, Virat Kohli, Yash Dayal October 23, 202546 seconds

With Virat Kohli confirmed to play, explore the best squad and retained players list for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026.

We are at the end of 2025, and one player that is gaining huge traction in the world of Cricket is Virat Kohli. After having retired from T20Is last year, and Test cricket a few months back, Virat Kohli has returned to International cricket in the form of 3 ODIs vs Australia. This is the first time post the historic IPL win that Virat Kohli has graced the cricket ground with his presence. And what perfect time to return to cricket, as the Royal Challengers Bengaluru are contemplating finalising their retentions for IPL 2026.

After 18 years of long wait, the Jersey number 18 (Virat Kohli’s jersey) was rewarded with the historic IPL triumph as Royal Challengers Bengaluru lifted their first-ever IPL trophy. It was an emotional moment for not just Virat Kohli, but for all RCB fans across the globe. 18 years in making, and when the moment finally became reality, needless to say, we saw tears flowing through the eyes of Virat Kohli and Co.

But all that is in the past, and RCB will now have to focus on the future. To be able to maintain a strong core, and build a champion team for that. While most of the squad seems settled, RCB can’t afford to relax, and they will have to make a few tough decisions to ensure they are only progressing in the tournament. So, which players will RCB look to retain and release? Well, let’s look at the best predicted released and retained players list for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) for IPL 2026.

RCB Retained Players 2026 Decoded

Now, let’s first talk about the core that RCB managed to develop last year, and the one that will be retained without a second thought. We start with openers, and we have Phil Salt and Virat Kohli. Both did a terrific job in IPL 2025, and will be the key for the team in IPL 2026. Then, among other batters, we have Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar, Rim David, and Jitesh Sharma. This is a solid batting lineup, and forms the core of RCB’s batting.

Coming to All-rounders, RCB should retain Krunal Pandya and Romario Shepherd. Both Krunal and Romari played most of the RCB’s matches, and did pretty well in the opportunities they got. Moving on to the bowlers, we should see RCB trusting the likes of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma, and Yash Dayal. All four players played all the matches if they were fit. So, this forms a solid core of RCB, with almost 12 players in place.

RCB’s Focus on Backups for IPL 2026

Having seen a solid retained core for RCB, we now move to backups, and among batters, we are looking at Mayank Agarwal and Swastik Chikara. Since Mayank came as an injury replacement for Padikkal, he will be allowed to retain. Meanwhile, among All-rounders, RCB are likely to retain Jacob Bethell, Manoj Bhandage, and Swapnil Singh. However, in the process, RCB are unlikely to retain Liam Livingstone, who not only seems to be struggling for form but also looks the least interested while playing in the IPL.

In terms of bowling backups, RCB will look to retain Lungi Ngidi, Muwan Thushara, and Rasikh Dar. It’s quite surprising that RCB do not have quality Indian pacers in the side, given the best if Yash Dayal, who himself is too inexperienced. SO, while releasing Liam Livingstone, RCB should look to add quality Indian pacers and spinners in the side, as these are the two areas RCB are missing the most.

IPL 2026 Predicted Retained Squad Players List for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)

Batters

Devdutt Padikkal
Mayank Agarwal
Rajat Patidar (c)
Swastik Chikara
Tim David (o)
Virat Kohli

Wks

Jitesh Sharma
Phil Salt (o)

All-rounders

Jacob Bethell (o)
Krunal Pandya
Manoj Bhandage
Romario Shephard (o)
Swapnil Singh

Bowlers

Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Josh Hazlewood (o)
Lungi Ngidi (o)
Nuwan Thushara (o)
Rasikh Dar
Suyash Sharma
Yash Dayal

Given that RCB are likely to release Liam Livingstone, RCB should roughly have around 14 Cr in their Auction kitty. This purse will be good enough for RCB to focus on adding Indian pacers and spinners. If Maxwell is released, RCB can also think of buying him for 8-10 Cr, and use the rest of the amount to buy more quality Indian pacers and spinners in the side. There is a good possibility of Mayank Yadav and Mohsin Khan under the scanner, so these two could be good buys too.

IPL 2026 Predicted Released Players List for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)

Liam Livingstone
Abhinandan Singh
Mohit Rathee

So, that’s about the best retained squad players list for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) for IPL 2026. Overall, RCB will be retaining 20 players ahead of the IPL 2026 Mini Auction. With a space for 5 more players in the team, and roughly around 14 Cr in the Auction kitty, they can use this amount to buy a solid Overseas All-rounder, and focus on adding a few more Indian bowlers in the side.

Thanks for reading! Looking at the best retained squad and players list for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) for IPL 2026, what’s your take on it? Please email your thoughts to business@cricalytics.com.