Who Is Abhinandan Singh (Source: AP Photos)
Abhinandan Singh has finally received his maiden IPL cap, achieving the milestone on the opening day of the IPL 2026 season. The uncapped Indian fast bowler has been named in the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) playing XI for their clash against SRH in Bengaluru.
It is worth noting that Abhinandan was also part of the RCB squad that lifted the IPL 2025 title last year, but he did not feature in a single game throughout the tournament. Here, we take a look at the journey of Virat Kohli’s latest RCB teammate on his road to making his IPL debut.
Who is Abhinandan Singh?
Abhinandan Singh is an uncapped Indian fast bowler who made his IPL debut in the opening match of the IPL 2026 season on Saturday, March 28. The cricketer was acquired by the RCB back in November 2024 for IPL 2025.
Despite holding no experience in India’s elite domestic circuit, he was roped in for a sum of Rs. 30 lakhs by the franchise. He was likely recruited by RCB after getting spotted by their talent scouts.
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It is worth noting that Abhinandan was purchased by the RCB mere weeks after the conclusion of the 2024 Uttar Pradesh T20 League. In 10 innings of the tournament for the Lucknow Falcons, the prodigious fast bowler picked up 15 wickets at an impressive bowling average of 17.06. The speedster also held a reasonable economy rate of just 7.52 runs an over in an otherwise high-scoring competition.
However, unfortunately for Singh, he did not receive even a single crack in the RCB’s playing XI throughout their victorious IPL 2025 campaign in India.
Few months after the conclusion of the tournament, Abhinandan Singh became one of the 17 cricketers to be retained by the franchise for RCB’s title-defence in IPL 2026.
After spending the entire IPL 2025 on the sidelines, he was fast-tracked into RCB’s playing XI after the speedster dismissed Virat Kohli twice in both of team’s pre-season intra-squad matches.
As he gets an opportunity for RCB in IPL 2026, Abhinandan will now be aiming to make it a prolific season for himself as he bids to earn his maiden call-up in India’s domestic circuit with the Uttar Pradesh team.
Abhinandan Singh joins Virat Kohli in RCB’s playing XI
Taking on SRH in the opening match of the IPL 2026 season, RCB captain Rajat Patidar won the toss and opted to field first at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. At the toss, Patidar also confirmed that Abhinandan Singh will be making his IPL debut as the uncapped Indian paceman was included in the RCB playing XI alongside senior members like Virat Kohli and Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
RCB’s playing XI vs SRH:
Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Rajat Patidar (c), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Abhinandan Singh, Jacob Duffy and Suyash Sharma.
Abhinandan Singh to bowl alongside Bhuvneshwar, Jacob Duffy
Abhinandan Singh will be joining New Zealand fast bowler Jacob Duffy and legendary Indian pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar as part of RCB’s pace attack against the SRH.
All eyes will now be on the young quick as he looks to seize this opportunity and make an immediate impact on his long-awaited IPL debut.
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