Key takeaways
- RCB won IPL 2025 and 2026; they topped the 2026 league table with nine wins from 14.
- Virat Kohli (675 runs) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (28 wickets) led their 2026 season.
- At Chinnaswamy, totals around 190 are normal and chasing teams have won more often since 2025.
- This guide uses the 2026 squad; we will update it after retentions on 17 November and the December auction.
RCB at a glance
| Captain | Rajat Patidar |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Andy Flower |
| Home ground | M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru |
| IPL titles | 2025, 2026 |
| 2026 league stage | 1st — 9 wins, 5 losses, 18 points |
| 2026 top run-scorer | Virat Kohli, 675 |
| 2026 top wicket-taker | Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 28 |
The 2026 season in brief
RCB finished top of the league table, beat Gujarat Titans by 92 runs in Qualifier 1 after posting 254/5, and then beat the same opponents in the final in Ahmedabad, chasing 156 with five wickets in hand. It was their second title in a row.
For fantasy players, the pattern was a strong top order backed by experienced new-ball and death bowling — the kind of team where a few players are involved in almost every match.
Squad by role (2026)
| Role | Players |
|---|---|
| Batters | Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar (c), Phil Salt (overseas), Devdutt Padikkal, Jordan Cox (overseas), Vihaan Malhotra |
| Wicket-keeper | Jitesh Sharma |
| All-rounders | Krunal Pandya, Venkatesh Iyer, Tim David (overseas) |
| Pace bowlers | Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood (overseas), Jacob Duffy (overseas), Romario Shepherd (overseas), Richard Gleeson (overseas), Rasikh Salam, Abhinandan Singh, Mangesh Yadav |
| Spin bowlers | Suyash Sharma, Swapnil Singh, Satvik Deswal, Vicky Ostwal, Kanishk Chouhan |
Jacob Bethell (finger injury), Yash Dayal and Nuwan Thushara did not take part in 2026; Richard Gleeson came in as a replacement. Teams can field only a limited number of overseas players, so not every overseas name plays every match.
Form and numbers from 2026
| Player | Role | 2026 numbers |
|---|---|---|
| Virat Kohli | Batter | 675 runs in 16 innings, average 56.25, strike rate 165, one hundred and five fifties |
| Rajat Patidar | Batter (captain) | 501 runs |
| Devdutt Padikkal | Batter | 464 runs |
| Tim David | All-rounder (finisher) | 305 runs |
| Krunal Pandya | All-rounder | 226 runs and 14 wickets |
| Bhuvneshwar Kumar | Pace bowler | 28 wickets — one behind the Purple Cap winner |
| Rasikh Salam | Pace bowler | 19 wickets |
| Josh Hazlewood | Pace bowler | 15 wickets |
Two things stand out for fantasy. RCB's runs were spread across four batters, so Kohli was not the only route to points. And Krunal Pandya was the only RCB player near the top of both lists — the profile that gives an all-rounder his value.
Core fantasy picks
These players were involved in nearly every RCB match in 2026 and are the base of most RCB-heavy teams:
- Virat Kohli — RCB's leading run-scorer in 2026 with 675 runs. A top-order batter who faces a large share of the innings, which makes him a regular captaincy option.
- Phil Salt — an attacking overseas top-order batter; when he gets going early, he can score a lot of points inside the powerplay.
- Bhuvneshwar Kumar — 28 wickets in 2026, RCB's leading wicket-taker. Bowls with the new ball and often at the death, so he gets chances at both ends of the innings.
- Josh Hazlewood — an overseas fast bowler who usually bowls key overs when he plays.
Value picks and differentials
- Krunal Pandya — bats and bowls left-arm spin; all-rounders give two ways to score, which helps on days when one skill is quiet.
- Tim David — a finisher who bats late. Fewer balls, but a big final few overs can swing a contest; better as a differential than as a captain.
- Jitesh Sharma — the wicket-keeper; catches and stumpings add to his batting points.
- Suyash Sharma — leg-spinner. Spin has been more economical than pace at Chinnaswamy, though pace has taken more wickets (see below).
Always check the confirmed playing eleven and batting order after the toss — roles shift with conditions and opponents.
Chinnaswamy: what the numbers say
M. Chinnaswamy Stadium is one of the best batting grounds in the IPL. Figures for IPL matches there since the start of the 2025 season (8 matches, as of mid-April 2026):
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Average first-innings score | 190 |
| Wins batting first / chasing | 3 / 5 |
| Sixes per match | 21 |
| Pace bowling: wickets, economy | 51 wickets, 9.9 an over |
| Spin bowling: wickets, economy | 18 wickets, 8.7 an over |
What it means for your team:
- Lean on top-order batters, especially as captain — a normal total here is high.
- Pace bowlers take more wickets but go for more runs; wicket points usually outweigh the runs conceded, so the main seamers stay good picks.
- Chasing teams have done slightly better, so after the toss, consider the side batting second's top order.
- RCB also played two 2026 home matches in Raipur; check the venue for each fixture rather than assuming Bengaluru.
Full venue breakdown — records, pace vs spin and a pre-match checklist: Chinnaswamy Stadium pitch report. For a general routine, see pitch and conditions.
Matchups to check before each RCB game
Player-against-bowler records change every season, so check them for the match in front of you. These are the patterns most likely to matter:
- RCB's seamers against the opposition top order. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rasikh Salam and Josh Hazlewood took 62 wickets between them in 2026, and pace has taken most of the wickets at Chinnaswamy. An opposition side whose openers struggle against the moving new ball is a good fixture for these three.
- Opposition spinners against RCB's middle order. Spin has been cheaper than pace at Chinnaswamy (8.7 an over against 9.9). An economical spinner from the visiting side can be a quiet differential, even in a high-scoring game.
- Krunal Pandya against right-handed batting. His left-arm spin turns away from right-handers; against a line-up full of right-handers he has more chances to take wickets.
- Tim David against death bowling. If the opposition's death bowlers have been expensive lately, David's late overs become more valuable.
Where to look: the player profiles and head-to-head pages on ESPNcricinfo or the official IPL site list a batter's record against each bowler and bowling type.
Captaincy in RCB matches
- At Chinnaswamy: a top-order batter from either side — Kohli and Salt are the obvious RCB options.
- Away on slower pitches: consider Bhuvneshwar Kumar or an all-rounder like Krunal Pandya, whose bowling keeps scoring when runs are harder to come by.
- In mega contests: a less popular captain with a real role — for example the opposition's opener at Chinnaswamy — can separate your team from the many that pick Kohli.
More on choosing: captain and vice-captain.
Recent head-to-head (2025–2026)
RCB's results against the other nine teams over the last two seasons, including playoffs. Washed-out games are shown as no result and not counted.
| Opponent | 2025 | 2026 | RCB won–lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chennai Super Kings | Won, won | Won | 3–0 |
| Delhi Capitals | Lost, won | Lost, won | 2–2 |
| Gujarat Titans | Lost | Won, lost, won (Qualifier 1), won (final) | 3–2 |
| Kolkata Knight Riders | Won, no result | Won | 2–0 |
| Lucknow Super Giants | Won | Won, lost | 2–1 |
| Mumbai Indians | Won | Won, won | 3–0 |
| Punjab Kings | Lost, won, won (Qualifier 1), won (final) | Won | 4–1 |
| Rajasthan Royals | Won, won | Lost | 2–1 |
| Sunrisers Hyderabad | Lost | Won, lost | 1–2 |
Treat these results as context, not a prediction: squads change every year, and the venue and conditions matter more for a single match. The pattern worth noting is RCB's unbeaten run against Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians over the two title-winning seasons.
What to watch before IPL 2027
- 17 November — retentions. Whether RCB keep their overseas core (Salt, Hazlewood, David) affects most of the picks above.
- 16 December — auction. Any new opener or wicket-keeper changes the batting order.
- Fixtures (expected early 2027). Count how many matches RCB play at Chinnaswamy; home games there are the best fixtures for RCB batters.
Sources
- The Tribune (ANI), IPL extends deadline for retention lists to November 17, 2 November 2026 — retention deadline.
- Wikipedia, 2026 Royal Challengers Bengaluru season — squad, results, run and wicket tallies.
- Wikipedia, 2025 Royal Challengers Bengaluru season — 2025 results.
- Wikipedia, Royal Challengers Bengaluru — titles, captain, coach.
- MyKhel, Virat Kohli IPL 2026 stats — Kohli's full season figures.
- Yahoo Sports, IPL 2026 Purple Cap: Kagiso Rabada pips Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
- Business Standard, IPL 2026 RCB vs LSG: pitch report and Chinnaswamy Stadium stats, April 2026.