The reigning champions, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), are about to enter the IPL 2026 season with a powerful and harmonized team. Nevertheless, the team still has some shortcomings, and the major question that haunts everybody is which player RCB will acquire in the forthcoming IPL 2026 auction..
RCB has cut loose a total of eight players; among them are Liam Livingstone, Lungi Ngidi, Tim Seifert, Mohit Rathee, Manoj Bhandage, Mayank Agarwal, Swastik Chikara, and Blessing Muzarabani. This paves the way for the new players addition.
They are set to participate in the IPL 2026 auction with INR 16.4 crore left in their budgets and eight positions to fill. Let’s watch five players who might be listed among RCB IPL 2026 auction targets.
Venkatesh Iyer
Venkatesh Iyer could be one among the RCB targeted players in the IPL 2026 auction. He was let go by KKR on the last day of the retention period. As RCB will need a batter to fill the No.3 or No.4 position, Venkatesh Iyer can come as a valuable candidate. RCB had already expressed interest in him at the 2025 auction, where they fought a bidding battle with KKR, but the latter eventually acquired him for the whopping sum of INR 23.75 crore.
Still, it is Rajat Patidar, RCB’s skipper, who captains the Madhya Pradesh side, for which Venkatesh Iyer is playing. Besides, Iyer has also got good rapport with RCB mentor Dinesh Karthik from their KKR days which could make it easier for him to get a bid from RCB.
Michael Bracewell
Following Liam Livingstone’s release before the IPL 2026 auction, it will be very intriguing to witness who RCB will bring in as his successor. One of the candidates who can be thought of is Michael Bracewell. Just like Livingstone, he is an all-rounder who can bowl spin and has the ability to bat in the middle order.
In the 2023 season, Bracewell had participated in RCB previously, by taking 6 wickets in just 5 matches. Moreover, his presence in the batting order would also be a plus for RCB, as there are not many left-handers in the team. Hence, he might be one of the potential players during RCB IPL 2026 auction.
Gerald Coetzee
Gerald Coetzee was the last player to be released by the Gujarat Titans on the IPL 2026 retention deadline day. He was part of the match for the total of four which GT had last season. With Ngidi being released from RCB, the champions will be in urgent need of picking a player who will be a standby to Hazlewood and as well take Ngidi’s role.
Among the fast bowlers likely to be a part of the IPL 2026 auction, Gerald Coetzee would be one of the names on the list of RCB target players. His capabilities with the bat have noticeably improved. RCB might not make drastic changes to the squad, but receiving Gerald Coetzee as one of the backups will be good for them.
Rahul Chahar
RCB will be keeping Krunal Pandya and Suyash Sharma as spinners for the next season and would like to have another spinner as backup. They would prefer overseas spin all-rounders; however, they will still be looking for an Indian spinner as backup.
Among the possible targets for RCB, Rahul Chahar, who was released by Sunrisers Hyderabad, stands out. Even though he was only used in one match last season, Chahar certainly is a reliable backup spinner in the squad. He has been the wicket-taker for 75 in the IPL until now.
Vansh Bedi
The young wicketkeeper-batter Vansh Bedi was released by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) before the IPL 2026 auction, as he could not participate in the last season because of an ankle injury. With CSK releasing him, he might now be an option for RCB in the upcoming season.
The main question for the fans is who will be the Indian backup wicketkeeper bought by RCB, and for this Vansh Bedi could be one of the RCB IPL 2026 auction targets. He was the captain of Purani Dilli 6 in the Delhi Premier League (DPL) 2025 and scored 187 runs in nine matches at a strike rate of 187. RCB may view him as a trustworthy backup to their primary wicketkeeper, Jitesh Sharma.