IPL 2026: 3 Big Names RCB Could Target in the Mini Auction ft. Venkatesh Iyer

IPL 2026: 3 Big Names RCB Could Target in the Mini Auction ft. Venkatesh Iyer

In the 18th edition of the Indian Premier League, we witnessed exciting performances from multiple teams, but one team that stood out was the Royal Challengers Bengaluru. From the start, RCB was all together in a different form, winning back-to-back matches and looking like a balanced team with solid players in all three departments. One factor that played a significant role this season was the performance of different players in various matches. More than five players won the Player of the Match award this season. This synergy is what led to their first title. Though the team won the trophy, there were various weak points that the team will look to fix next season. Today, in this article, we will discuss the three players RCB could target in the upcoming IPL 2026 auction.

Venkatesh Iyer

The first player on the list is a well-known Indian middle-order batter, Venkatesh Iyer. Iyer, who performed well in the IPL 2023 and 2024 seasons, attracted massive bids in the IPL 2025 auction, where a bidding war between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bengaluru reached the 23 crore mark, with Kolkata Knight Riders eventually re-acquiring him. Iyer and KKR's story hasn't been very successful in the last one year; KKR initially released him before the auction, hoping to re-acquire him for less price, but this strategy backfired when RCB also tried to buy him, leading to a 23 crore dent in their purse, which hampered their strategy deeply as they couldn't bid big on other players. In IPL 2025, Iyer failed to justify his price tag, performing poorly and disappointing the KKR management. This year, RCB will try to fulfil last year's wish of acquiring him at a more reasonable price in the upcoming auction, as it is highly expected that KKR will release him for the IPL 2026 auction.

Batting Statistics

Bowling Statistics

Mark Wood

The next player on our list is a very well-renowned English pacer, Mark Wood, who is well known for his bowling, clocking 150 kmph regularly. But one thing that has woorked against him is his own body. For this season too, he was signed by Lucknow Super Giants, but he got injured while playing for England, which ruled him out of the field for at least 4 months. But now, he is expected to participate in the IPL 2026 auction. Various teams will try to buy him during the upcoming auction, but RCB could be at the front of the line. In recent seasons, RCB drastically improved their pace department by including Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. The team will aim to strengthen it further by including another overseas fast bowling option and who could be better than Mark Wood, who is well known for his pace skills and speed? It is expected that we will witness a tough bidding war for him, and RCB could be the team leading that.

Rahul Chahar
The next player on the list that the Royal Challengers Bengaluru can target in the upcoming IPL 2026 auction is Rahul Chahar. Chahar, who is known for his leg spin and has been given less importance in the last few seasons, particularly due to his performance, can attract massive bids in the upcoming IPL 2026 auction. He was first sidelined by the Mumbai Indians last year, and in the IPL 2025 season, SRH also gave him very few chances. Now, after a disappointing performance from the team in IPL 2025, SRH is likely to do a significant overhaul of their squad and is expected to release Rahul Chahar. RCB, which emerged as a very good and balanced team in the recent season, clearly needs one more reliable spinner in their squad. With limited options and fewer quality spinners available in the auction, RCB might try to purchase him. Various analysts and experts pointed out that RCB's weakness lies in the spin department, where Krunal Pandya and Suyash Sharma played big roles last season. However, the team will be looking for more options in the upcoming auction. It is expected that the team will go after him.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru

RCB Squad 2025

Batters:

• Virat Kohli
• Rajat Patidar (Captain)
• Devdutt Padikkal
• Phil Salt (WK-Batter)
• Jitesh Sharma (WK-Batter)
• Swastik Chikara

All-Rounders:

• Liam Livingstone
• Krunal Pandya
• Tim David
• Jacob Bethell
• Manoj Bhandage
• Swapnil Singh
• Romario Shepherd

Bowlers:

• Josh Hazlewood
• Bhuvneshwar Kumar
• Yash Dayal
• Rasikh Salam Dar
• Suyash Sharma
• Nuwan Thushara
• Lungi Ngidi
• Abhinandan Singh
• Mohit Rathee

Also Read: IPL 2026: Full List of Released Players by All 10 Teams Ahead of Mini Auction