IPL 2026: RCB playing 11 probables, players' salary, timings, streaming

Royal Challengers Bengaluru will take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in the tournament opener of IPL 2026 on March 28

After ending their 18-year wait to win an Indian Premier League (IPL) trophy in 2025, Rajat Patidar-led Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will now be looking to add more accolades to their name by becoming the third team to defend their IPL title successfully.

 

Before this, only Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in 2011 and Mumbai Indians (MI) in 2020 have been able to defend their IPL title successfully.

 

After their victorious run in IPL 2025, the RCB management retained most of their core squad for IPL 2026, with some notable additions through the auction such as Venkatesh Iyer and Jacob Duffy.

 

 

RCB could have fielded the same playing 11 this year, but Josh Hazlewood’s injury and Yash Dayal’s absence from the entire tournament have put their bowling department in a difficult situation.

 

But amidst all the bowling uncertainty, how could RCB’s playing 11 look in IPL 2026? Let’s take a look.

How RCB’s playing 11 could shape up in IPL 2026

Top order: After a successful IPL 2025 season, RCB are unlikely to change their top order, with Phil Salt and Virat Kohli opening the innings, while Devdutt Padikkal comes in at number three.

 

Middle order: Skipper Rajat Patidar is expected to lead the middle-order charge for RCB at the number four spot, while England’s Jacob Bethell, who had a brilliant run in the T20 World Cup 2026, including a century against India in the semifinal, is likely to get the number five spot.

 

Tim David is expected to continue playing his role as a pinch-hitter at number six.

 

Lower middle order: In the lower middle order, RCB are expected to have the tried-and-tested pair of Jitesh Sharma and Krunal Pandya playing the role of hard-hitting finishers, just as they did in IPL 2025.

 

Bowlers: Despite having a largely similar squad retained, bowling will be a department where RCB will need to make changes, as Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood, whose powerplay bowling was key to RCB’s success, is still waiting for a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from Cricket Australia.

 

On top of that, RCB have also lost the services of Yash Dayal for the rest of the season due to personal reasons. This means RCB are likely to have experienced Bhuvneshwar Kumar teaming up with uncapped Rasikh Dar and New Zealand pacer Jacob Duffy to lead the fast-bowling department.

 

Impact players: In another move similar to the last edition, RCB are likely to use Suyash Sharma as an impact substitute to support Krunal Pandya in the bowling department.

 

RCB can also choose to add Venkatesh Iyer from the impact players list into the playing 11 if the situation demands. Iyer, who was retained by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) last year, joined RCB for Rs 7 crore during the IPL 2026 player auction.

 

RCB probable playing 11 for IPL 2026: Phil Salt, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (C), Jacob Bethell, Tim David, Jitesh Sharma, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jacob Duffy, Rasikh Dar

 

Impact players: Venkatesh Iyer / Suyash Sharma 

IPL 2026: Royal Challengers Bengaluru full squad and players' salary

Players bought by RCB in IPL 2026 Auction
Sr. No.	Player	Base Price	Winning Bid	Capped/Uncapped
1	Venkatesh Iyer	₹2,00,00,000.00	₹7,00,00,000.00	Capped
2	Mangesh Yadav	₹30,00,000.00	₹5,20,00,000.00	Uncapped
3	Jacob Duffy	₹2,00,00,000.00	₹2,00,00,000.00	Capped
4	Jordan Cox	₹75,00,000.00	₹75,00,000.00	Capped
5	Kanishk Chouhan	₹30,00,000.00	₹30,00,000.00	Uncapped
6	Vihaan Malhotra	₹30,00,000.00	₹30,00,000.00	Uncapped
7	Vicky Ostwal	₹30,00,000.00	₹30,00,000.00	Uncapped
8	Satvik Deswal	₹30,00,000.00	₹30,00,000.00	Uncapped

  

Players retained by RCB ahead of IPL 2026 auction
Player	Type	Base Price (INR Cr)	Sold Price (INR Cr)
Virat Kohli	BAT	-	21
Josh Hazlewood	BOWL	2	12.5
Phil Salt	BAT	2	11.5
Rajat Patidar	BAT	-	11
Jitesh Sharma	BAT	1	11
Bhuvneshwar Kumar	BOWL	2	10.75
Rasikh Salam	BOWL	0.3	6
Krunal Pandya	AR	2	5.75
Tim David	AR	2	3
Suyash Sharma	BOWL	0.3	2.6
Jacob Bethell	AR	1.25	2.6
Devdutt Padikkal	BAT	2	2
Nuwan Thushara	BOWL	0.75	1.6
Romario Shepherd	AR	1.5	1.5
Swapnil Singh	AR	0.3	0.5
Abhinandan Singh	BOWL	0.3	0.3

IPL 2026: Royal Challengers Bengaluru full schedule

Match No	Date	Opponent	Venue	Time (IST)
1	Mar 28, 2026	Sunrisers Hyderabad	M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru	7:30 PM
11	Apr 5, 2026	Chennai Super Kings	M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru	7:30 PM
16	Apr 10, 2026	Rajasthan Royals	Barsapara Stadium, Guwahati	7:30 PM
20	Apr 12, 2026	Mumbai Indians	Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai	7:30 PM

IPL 2026: Royal Challengers Bengaluru matches live streaming and telecast details

When will Royal Challengers Bengaluru start their campaign in IPL 2026? 

Royal Challengers Bengaluru will start their IPL 2026 campaign on Saturday, March 28.

 

Who will Royal Challengers Bengaluru face in their opening game of IPL 2026? 

Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru will take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in their opening match of IPL 2026.

 

Where to watch live telecast of Royal Challengers Bengaluru matches in IPL 2026 in India? 

The live telecast of all IPL 2026 matches of Royal Challengers Bengaluru will be available on Star Sports Network in India.

 

Where to watch live streaming of Royal Challengers Bengaluru matches in IPL 2026 in India? 

The live streaming of all IPL 2026 matches of Royal Challengers Bengaluru will be available on the JioHotstar app and website in India.