Royal Challengers Bengaluru walk into the IPL 2026 mini auction with something they haven’t always enjoyed in the past: a stable core and a reasonably clear shopping list.
Seventeen retained players, six overseas options, and a purse of INR 16.40 cr leave them with eight slots to fill, including two overseas. This is not a blow-up the squad auction for them; it is a target the missing pieces auction.
What RCB actually need from this mini auction
On paper, the retention list covers most primary roles. Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, and Rajat Patidar give them a solid top-order Indian spine, with Phil Salt and Jitesh Sharma adding wicketkeeping depth and powerplay/finishing options. Tim David and Romario Shepherd strengthen the lower middle order, while Krunal Pandya, Swapnil Singh, Jacob Bethell, and Suyash Sharma provide a decent spin mix.
The fast bowling group – Josh Hazlewood, Nuwan Thushara, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yash Dayal, and Rasikh Dar – is deep in names but not completely secure. Hazlewood’s workload, Bhuvneshwar’s age, and Thushara’s relative inexperience make it obvious that RCB still lack one more high-end pace option who can take the new ball and close out overs.
From that lens, three needs stand out:
1. An overseas strike pacer to partner/rotate with Hazlewood and Thushara.
2. A reliable Indian quick to deepen the domestic pace option
3. An Indian middle-order/finisher who can hit spin and allow flexible overseas combinations
With INR 16.40 crore, the priority has to be roles over star-chasing.
Anrich Nortje
Anrich Nortje is a near-perfect fit as the overseas bowling lynchpin. At his best, he offers genuine 145+ pace, heavy lengths and the ability to attack both in the powerplay and through the middle. On flat decks where RCB will often find themselves defending, that kind of aggression is a tactical asset.
Because he’s coming off an injury-hit period and hasn’t dominated the IPL recently, Nortje is unlikely to trigger a full-blown bidding war in the Cameron Green bracket. A realistic price band of around INR 4-6 cr makes him an ideal RCB target: a ceiling-raising fast bowler who significantly upgrades their attack without consuming much of their purse.
Domestic value picks: Salman Nizar and Simarjeet Singh
The rest of RCB’s auction should be about value and flexibility.
Salman Nizar answers the Indian middle-order/finisher question. A left-hander with range against spin, he gives RCB something they might need: an Indian batter who can slot at no.5 or no.6, finish games and free them to use overseas slots on bowling when conditions demand it. If they want to field Salt plus two overseas quicks on certain surfaces, a player like Salman makes that combination far less fragile.
Simarjeet Singh is the kind of domestic quick who quietly transforms a bowling group. Capable of taking the new ball and bowling hard lengths, he offers cover for Bhuvneshwar Kumar and competition for Yash Dayal and Rasikh Salam. In a long season, being able to reset a senior seamer without destroying your balance is priceless – that’s where Simarjeet’s value lies.
Both players live in the realistic INR 40 laks – INR 1.5 cr corridor, where clever teams repeatedly win the auction.
The temptation for Hasaranga and Prithivi Shaw
There will, of course, be louder, more glamorous options. A reunion with Wanindu Hasaranga is one of them. On pure cricketing merit, the fit is excellent: wrist spin, middle-overs wicket, lower-order batting and familiarity with the franchise. But Hasaranga sits in the premium bracket; in a mini auction, it is easy to imagine him soaring into the INR 8-11 crore zone. For a team with INR 16.40 crore left, that sort of spend on a single player would squeeze out the rest of the build.
Prithvi Shaw brings a different kind of allure – a high-ceiling Indian top-order. Yet, RCB already have Salt, Padikkal, Kohli and Patidar at the top. To spend INR 5-7 cr on another top-order specialist, when the real gaps are in pace depth and Indian finishing, would be an indulgence rather than a solution.
That is the real test for RCB at this mini auction: resisting the temptation of the big, nostalgic headline and instead nailing the signings who quietly complete the squad. If they can walk out with a Norje-type overseas quick, a domestic finisher like Salman Nizar and a reliable Indian seamer such as Simarjeet Singh, they won’t win the night on television – but they might just win again in April and May.
