RCB players after their triumph in IPL 2025. Credits - AFP
The reigning champions, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), will begin their campaign in the Indian Premier League (IPL 2026) on Saturday (March 28) against the Sunrisers Hyderabad at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru.
For the first time in many years, RCB have a flawless squad heading into the season. They have a strong starting eleven and backups for almost every player.
During the IPL 2025, every player did their job to perfection, barring Liam Livingstone, who was later replaced by Romario Shepherd. However, injuries in the camp have become a concern for the Bengaluru-based franchise. Apart from Yash Dayal, every player who played and performed well last season is available for IPL 2026.
Before their first game, let us look at what the RCB Playing XI Vs SRH- IPL 2026 can be.
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RCB Playing XI Vs SRH- IPL 2026, Match 1
Top Order Batters: Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Venkatesh Iyer
RCB will go with their tried-and-tested opening pair of Virat Kohli and Phil Salt. The leading run-scorer of the IPL selects himself in the RCB Playing XI Vs SRH. Meanwhile, there may be concerns about Salt’s form in the lead-up to the line-up. There are speculations about Jacob Bethell coming in for Salt, but the RCB team management would back the senior pro, given his ability to turn the game on its head on his day.
In the mini-auction ahead of IPL 2026, RCB broke the bank for Venkatesh Iyer after missing out on him in the mega-auction. The swashbuckling southpaw is someone who loves tearing apart the opposition bowling attack, plus he brings an extra flavour with his military pace. It is expected to replace Devdutt Padikkal, who was a regular part of RCB’s XI last season.
Middle Order & All-Rounders: Rajat Patidar, Tim David , Jitesh Sharma, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya
Rajat Patidar has been awfully out of form in the recent tournaments, but the skipper selects himself. He is someone who doesn’t let spinners bowl accurately when he is in the middle, and RCB would want him to do that.
We all know what Tim David brings to the table. The Australian big-hitter had some injury concerns in the recently concluded 2026 T20 World Cup. However, he was seen training hard in the nets for RCB. Meanwhile, David will have assistance from Jitesh Sharma in the finishing department. The Vidarbha batter will also don the keeping gloves in RCB Playing XI Vs SRH.
Romario Shepherd and Krunal Pandya will be the two all-rounders for Bengaluru, as the duo brings a whole new dimension of balance to the team. Krunal is fit and in form, while the Caribbean all-rounder had a slight niggle in the T20 World Cup, due to which he missed two games in the tournament.
Bowlers: Mangesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jacob Duffy
Bhuvneshwar Kumar will be without Yash Dayal, who is out due to personal reasons, and Josh Hazlewood, at least for the first game of the IPL 2026. The IPL veteran will be the leader of RCB's bowling pact.
In RCB Playing XI Vs SRH, Bhuvneshwar will form the pace trio with the Kiwi Jacob Duffy and the upcoming left-armer Mangesh Yadav. Meanwhile, leg-spinner Suyash Sharma is expected to be the impact player.
RCB Likely Predicted XI Vs SRH- IPL 2026, Match 1
Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Venkatesh Iyer, Rajat Patidar (c), Tim David , Jitesh Sharma (wk), Venkatesh Iyer, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Mangesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jacob Duffy
Impact Player: Suyash Sharma, Devdutt Padikkal, Swapnil Singh, Jacob Bethell, Rasikh Salam
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