RCB Retained Players IPL 2027 – Royal Challengers Bengaluru Likely Retentions

August 10, 2026 Adesh Kothari Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Cricket, IPL, IPL 2027, Jitesh Sharma, Josh Hazlewood, Phil Salt, Rajat Patidar, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, T20 Cricket, Venkatesh Iyer, Virat Kohli

With Rajat Patidar eyeing third title, explore the RCB Retained Players IPL 2027 and released squad likely retentions list ahead of the upcoming Auction.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru, a team that was once a key hub for troll houses, has completely transformed themselves into a winning powerhouse. Having not won a single title in their first 17 years, the RCB team has made a tremendous comeback by winning back-to-back IPL titles. Countless captains, including Virat Kohli, tried their luck with their own strategies, but it was Rajat Patidar, who gave them glory, not once but twice.

As RCB stand today, they are back-to-back IPL title winner, a feat only achieved by CSK in 2009 and 2010, and Mumbai Indians in 2019 and 2020. 2025 and 2026 belonged to the RCB team, and given how settled their team looks, 2027 cannot be denied for a strong finish, if not a title-winning one. We still have a few months for the IPL 2027 countdown to begin, but the preparation for the marquee event has already begun with the IPL 2027 Mini Auction as the next action item.

RCB has a fairly settled squad, and they would likely like to retain as many players as possible. Not only do they have a settled core, but they have appropriate backups available for almost every position. The young batch of players is also pretty promising. So, with the available data points, let’s analyze the current squad list, and look at the RCB Retained Players IPL 2027 best predicted list ahead of the upcoming Mini Auction.

RCB Retention Plan for IPL 2027 Explained

If we talk about a settled playing 11 for RCB, who will be retained without a second thought, we are looking at Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar, Tim David, and Jitesh Sharma among primary batters. Romario Shepherd and Krunal Pandya are first-choice All-rounders. Whereas Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Rasikh Dar, and Suyash Sharma complete the rest of the bowling lineup. So, these 12 players will be retained without a doubt.

Now, moving on to the backups, we have Venkatesh Iyer as the backup for Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal. Jordan Cox as the backup for Phil Salt and Jitesh Sharma. Jacob Bethell as the backup for Romario Shephard. Vicky Ostwal as the backup for Krunal Pandya. Among bowlers, we have Mangesh Yadav and Abhinandan Singh as the backup for Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Rasikh Dar. For Josh Hazlewood, RCB has Nuwan Thushara and Jacob Duffy. So, overall, aside from the 12 first-choice players, there are i more players in line for retention.

RCB Released Players Best Predicted List for IPL 2027

Satvik Deswal
Kanishk Chouhan
Yash Dayal
Richard Gleeson (os)
Vihaan Malhotra
Swapnil Singh

So, overall, RCB might look to retain a total of 20 players, and the list also includes 8 Overseas players. This is already a strong list when it comes to retained players, and RCB shall only look for gap filling in the upcoming Auction. But if RCB has retained 20 players, which players will unfortunately be left out? Given RCB retains almost 20 players, they should finally release Yash Dayal, given his return to cricket looks doubtful. Alongside Dayal, RCB should release Satvik Deswal, Kanish Chouhan, Vihaan Malhotra, Swapnil Singh, and Richard Gleeson, given they had minimal roles to play in IPL 2026.

RCB Retained Players IPL 2027 – Royal Challengers Bengaluru Likely Retentions

Batters

Devdutt Padikkal
Jacob Bethell (os)
Rajat Patidar
Tim David (os)
Virat Kohli

Wicket-keepers

Jitesh Sharma
Jordan Cox (os)
Phil Salt (os)

All-rounders

Krunal Pandya
Romario Shepherd (os)
Venkatesh Iyer
Vicky Ostwal

Bowlers

Abhinandan Singh
Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Jacob Duffy (os)
Josh Hazlewood (os)
Mangesh Yadav
Nuwan Thushara (os)
Rasikh Dar
Suyash Sharma

FAQs – RCB Retained Players IPL 2027

Who are the likely retained players for RCB in IPL 2027?

Royal Challengers Bengaluru are expected to retain most of their established core for IPL 2027, including Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Phil Salt, Jitesh Sharma, Devdutt Padikkal, Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Romario Shepherd, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood and Suyash Sharma.

How many players could RCB retain for IPL 2027?

RCB could retain around 20 players ahead of the IPL 2027 Mini Auction. The franchise has a settled squad with established starters as well as backups across most positions, giving them little reason to make major changes.

Which players could RCB release before IPL 2027?

Players such as Yash Dayal, Satvik Deswal, Kanishk Chouhan, Vihaan Malhotra, Swapnil Singh and Richard Gleeson could be among the players released by RCB. Most of these players had limited roles during IPL 2026, while RCB may also look to create space for fresh options at the auction.

Will Virat Kohli be retained by RCB for IPL 2027?

Yes, Virat Kohli is expected to be one of RCB’s highest-priority retentions for IPL 2027. Having remained central to the franchise’s batting core, Kohli is unlikely to be considered for release as RCB look to maintain continuity after their successful recent seasons.

Also Read: Gujarat Titans Retained Players IPL 2027 – GT Best Predicted List

Thanks for reading! Looking at the RCB Retained Players IPL 2027, what’s your view on them before the next Auction? Please email your thoughts.