RCB Retained & Released Players List for IPL 2026 – Full Breakdown

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have announced the list of their retained and released players for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 mini-auction. Upon lifting their maiden title in 2025, RCB’s policy has concentrated on building around a core with which they’ve believed themselves capable of leading an enduring dynasty, enabling them to flex for needs at the auction. This article offers a detailed — and current — explanation of who stays, who goes — and what RCB might be thinking.

Why Retention & Release Matters

Before we get to names, here’s why those retention lists can be meaningful. Each IPL franchise is allowed to retain some players (that is, keep them in the squad) and release others (making them available for the next auction). These decisions impact:

• Squad balance (batsmen, bowlers, all-rounders)
• Overseas vs Indian player slots
• FinaL purse (money left after auction)
• Ability to choose new talent or shore up weak departments

For RCB, fresh from their first title win, the retention list is a statement: they are mostly sticking with those who delivered success — but also are aware of change.

RCB’s 2026 Retained Players – Full List

RCB retained 17 players ahead of IPL 2026.

Here’s the complete retained list:

Player	Role / Notes
Virat Kohli	Batting stalwart, experienced leader.
Rajat Patidar (c)	Captain, middle-order batter — led RCB to 2025 title.
Devdutt Padikkal	Young Indian batter.
Phil Salt	Overseas batter, speedy-scoring in middle order.
Jitesh Sharma	Wicket-keeper batter.
Krunal Pandya	All-rounder — adds balance with bat and ball.
Swapnil Singh	Domestic batter/utility.
Tim David	Overseas middle-order hitter.
Jacob Bethell	Young overseas talent, likely as batting/fielding asset.
Josh Hazlewood	Key overseas fast bowler — critical for pace attack.
Yash Dayal	Indian pace bowler — part of bowling core.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar	Senior Indian fast bowler — adds experience and control.
Nuwan Thushara	Overseas bowling option (likely pace).
Rasikh Salam Dar	Spinner/all-rounder option.
Abhinandan Singh	Young Indian talent — reserve/backup.
Suyash Sharma	Indian bowler — promising, adding depth.
Romario Shepherd	Overseas bowling / all-rounder option.

This team represents a mix of core experience (Virat Kohli, Bhuvneshwar, Hazlewood), fire-power overseas batting (Phil Salt, Tim David) and some young kids they can nurture (Padikkal, Bethell, Suyash Sharma etc.).

Players Released by RCB Ahead of IPL 2026

RCB Let go a few name, while they still have retained big core. The published list consists of a few from overseas internationals, Indian domestic players and uncapped players who were not given enough game time.

Here are the players released:

• Swastik Chikara (Indian)
• Mayank Agarwal (Indian)
• Tim Seifert (New Zealander, wicket-keeper/batsman)
• Liam Livingstone (English, all-rounder / batter) “We’ve known for some time that Liam is from a different planet.
• Lungi Ngidi (South Africa, fast bowler) Had injured the price badge in IPL 2020.
• Blessing Muzarabani (Zimbabwean, bowler)
• Mohit Rathee (Indian, spinner/all-rounder)
• Manoj Bhandage (Indian)

These releases indicate RCB wished to make some room from players who didn’t add much or weren’t used much in 2025.

Financial Picture: Purse and Auction Slots

After Retention: After the retention, RCB is set to head into IPL 2026 auction with ₹16.4 crores in their purse.

They also have 8 more spots vacant to be filled and there can be two overseas players as well.

That money, and there many available slot s (seven), offer them a fair bit of flexibility: they can go after players that improve areas of weakness (say spin bowling oreserve all-rounders the reserve overseas batsman).

What RCB’s Strategy Seems to Be

From the retention and release patterns, a few strategic points emerge for RCB:

• Stay with core team that won them the title: Retaining big-hitter performances and T20 specialists means RCB showed faith in continuity.
• Youth + Experience: They kept some youth (Padikkal, Suyash, Bethell) and got some experience (Kohli, Bhuvneshwar, Hazlewood), so the present is in place and the future also.
• More on the bowling stock: You would think they are aiming for a solid bench of bowlers, with the likes of Hazlewood, Bhuvneshwar and Yash Dayal among quicks along with Dasun Shanaka and Thushara-Perera as well as spin/all-rounders like Rasikh Dar.
• Make auction flexible: Releasing players who under-performed, and even some of their back-up players, freed up purse and slots — allowing them to possibly add fresh faces, tweak the balance or strengths in a team.
• Some flexibility in overseas slots: Releasing some of the bloated overseas players allows you to actually pick players who can add value instead at the auction – maybe a power-hitter, specialist spinner or backup pacer.

Key Names: Who Matters Most

Virat Kohli & Rajat Patidar — The core batsmen

RCB’s batting revolves around Virat Kohli. With his experience, level-headed play and leadership he’s irreplaceable. Beside him, Rajat Patidar (captain), who gives the middle order stability and aggression. Their retention depicts RCB’s belief in tried and tested performers.

Josh Hazlewood & Bhuvneshwar Kumar — Bowling backbone

In the bowling department, overseas speedster Josh Hazlewood and localcraftsman Bhuvneshwar Kumar form a deadly combination. Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar are a good combination as well, the former picking up early wickets, while the latter lends his experience and control when things get tight.

All-round talents & utility players — Flexibility for XI

In Krunal Pandya (all-rounder), Phil Salt (explosive batting), Tim David, and then in youngsters like Jacob Bethell and Devdutt Padikkal, RCB has the variety — they can also play with their playing XI based on pitch, opposition, and strategy.

Youth & bench strength — For long-term balance

With Suyash Sharma, Abhinandan Singh and Rasikh Salam Dar RCB has enough bench and future at their disposal. Maybe they won’t start every game, but they provide depth for squad composition and growth beyond their years.

What the Released Players Mean — And Possible Gaps

RCB has taken some clear decisions by releasing a few players. Let’s look at what it means.

• Overseas All –rounder/Batter slot vacant – With the release of Liam Livingstone and Tim Seifert, KKR now have free slots for overseas batter or all- rounder. This allows RCB to choose between a power-hitter or a spin/pacer specialist depending on the requirement.
• Spin / Middle overs bowling backup could be useful: Other than Rasikh Dar – and quite a few others – AN substitute spin bowler or A wicket-taking all-rounder could still interest the RCB, especially in spin-heavy conditions.
• Domestic backup batsmen short — Letting go of players like Swastik Chikara and Manoj Bhandage dent their domestic batting cover a tad – though RCB will rely on their retained Indian batting base (Kohli, Padikkal, Patidar, Jitesh).
• More dependence on core — danger of burnout — With their core players intact, RCB is likely to depend a lot more on them. Injuries, or losing form, could have a greater impact because not as many experienced backup players were held on for this series.

What Fans and Experts Are Saying

There has been a lot of debate — particularly among RCB supporters — on these retention calls. Some fans responded with emotion on social media and forums:

“Sad to see Livingstone go but hey we back this think tank.

“Ngidi 1 cr mai tha, usko retain krlena chaiye the. [“He was just ₹1 cr — should ve been retained.

A couple of fans might be concerned about the spin-bowling depth (in particular if main overseas pacer Hazlewood not available). While others feel RCB will invest the purse and slots in buy themselves worthy additions from the auction.

Mood seems generally positive: a lot of fans feel that with the winning core in place and some shrewd purchases at auction, RCB should be able to defend their title.

What RCB Should Look for in the Auction (Strategic Wishlist)

With their retained core and the purse/slots they’ve left behind, here are areas that RCB may want to target at the 2026 auction:

1. Specialist Spinner (off-spin or wrist spin) – To add variety in middle and strengthen middle overs.
2. Power-hitting Overseas Batsman/All-Rounder Backup overseas hitter or an all-rounder who can bat in the bottom half, a bowler with all-round capabilities to add flexibility.
3. Indian All-rounder / Utility Bowler –For balance of Indian team and to compensate injuries or resting due to rotation.
4. Young Indian Batter (middle/low middle order) – To provide cover to the main batters & for building a team for seasons to come.
5. Another Fast Bowler (Indian/overseas) — With workload on Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar, another pacer will give the freedom to manage load and cover for upcoming injuries.

If RCB does well in auction in these areas, they could arrive at the 2026 season with a well-balanced, versatile squad.

Possible Risks and What Could Go Wrong

And there are some risks even with strong planning:

• Overseas slot limit — just 2 slots available overseas so wrong selection can come back and bite you.
• Spin department under an inkling — unless RCB select a good spinner, spin-heavy or turning tracks can prove to be a difficult task.
• Auction competition — and the other guys have purse caps and slots, too; people keying players can snatch them.
• Defending the crown pressure — mental pressure and pressure to perform on players; expectations will be through the clouds.

Conclusion

The “RCB Retained & Released Players List for IPL 2026” reveals a precise strategy – retaining the winning core and a balanced approach, planning out reinforcements strategically. With 17 players retained, which include seasoned stars, all-rounders, foreign batters and bowlers as well as young prospects; RCB have a solid core to build around for the season ahead. RCB Retained & Released Players List for IPL 2026

The releases – some of them are from overseas and others a couple of fringe youngsters – conve

FAQs About RCB Retained & Released Players List for IPL 2026

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