RCB retention list for IPL 2026 auction: Full list of retained and released players by Royal Challengers Bengaluru ahead of mini auction – sportingnews.com

Ritabrata_Banerjee
(getty)
Following a dream campaign in the Indian Premier League 2025 season, where they finally got their hands on the elusive trophy after 18 years of existence, Royal Challengers Bengaluru will aim to make minor changes in their squad in the upcoming mini-auction to fine-tune the champion squad and fix whatever flaws exist.
The franchise will, of course, look to preserve their core while freeing up financial flexibility to chase high-impact players at the upcoming auction.
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RCB are expected to release certain players, who did not play much part in the title-winning campaign, while the aged and out-of-form players cold also be released.
Fans and analysts will have to wait until November 15, when the franchise submits its official retention and release documents to the IPL governing council, after which the complete list will be publicly announced.
Players like Liam Livingstone and Lungi Ngidi could be released from the squad, which will boost their team budget at the mini auction by nearly INR 10 crore, while 34-year-old Swapnil Singh could also be released, which will further add another INR 50 lakhs to the purse.
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RCB are expected to retain a core group of players, which includes captain Rajat Patidar, legendary Virat Kohli, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, Tim David, Phil Salt and Josh Hazlewood.
Fans can then get a clear picture of which stars will continue to form the backbone of RCB’s squad for the 2026 mini auction.
Among the Indian core batters, wicket-keeper Jitesh and Devdutt Paddikal could keep their place in the team as both players had an important role to play in the title win this year.
Due to a successful season in IPL in the last edition, not many players from RCB have been linked with a move away from the franchise, it is one of the IPL teams that have not made a lot of buzz in the transfer market, unlike teams like Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals.
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RCB spent ₹ 119.25 crore in the last mega auction and were left with ₹ 75 lakhs in the purse. The following is the roster they had built.
RCB squad for IPL 2025: Rajat Patidar (C), Mayank Agarwal, Swastik Chikara, Tim David, Virat Kohli, Phil Salt (WK), Jitesh Sharma (WK), Devdutt Padikkal, Manoj Bhandage, Liam Livingstone, Mohit Rathee, Krunal Pandya, Romario Shepherd, Jacob Bethell, Abhinandan Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Rasikh Salam, Suyash Sharma, Nuwan Thushara, Swapnil Singh, Yash Dayal, Nuwan Thushara
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Ritabrata is a content producer with a wealth of experience writing compelling content across cricket, football and a variety of sports.

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