Royal Challengers Bengaluru made it their mission to acquire India all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer to their ranks, buying him for INR 7 crore at the IPL 2026 mini auction. It was a bidding war, as RCB had to fend off the likes of KKR, LSG, and GT. RCB also roped in Jacob Duffy for INR 2 crore.
Defending champions RCB retained most of their star players from last season. Rajat Patidar will once again lead the franchise, and Virat Kohli is also still there.
After buying Iyer, RCB head coach Andy Flower said, "It’s two years running we’ve battled KKR for Venky—we both rate him highly, so it’s great to have him on board. We met him, chatted, and loved his competitive spirit, smarts, and leadership qualities for the dressing room and field. Looking forward to working with him."
Meanwhile, former India cricketer Anil Kumble predicted that Green could open for KKR. Speaking on JioHotstar, he said, "I would like to see him play the opening slot for KKR. I think, in terms of a finisher, KKR already have a decent line-up. They have Rinku Singh, for instance. I don’t think they utilised their resources well last season. If you compare it to the season when they won the trophy, it was a similar kind of line-up."
"Yes, of course, Shreyas Iyer, the skipper, was missing, and Mitchell Starc, the key fast bowler, was also missing. However, if you look at the kind of batting depth they had — Ramandeep Singh, Rovman Powell and Rinku Singh; these are all capable and experienced batters who can operate in the No. 5, No. 6, and finisher roles. So I feel, they don’t need a Cameron Green to do that job. I would rather see him at the top of the order, either opening or at No. 3, depending on where Ajinkya Rahane wants to bat. Sunil Narine could drop down to No. 6 or No. 7 or even act as a floater."
{{/usCountry}}"Yes, of course, Shreyas Iyer, the skipper, was missing, and Mitchell Starc, the key fast bowler, was also missing. However, if you look at the kind of batting depth they had — Ramandeep Singh, Rovman Powell and Rinku Singh; these are all capable and experienced batters who can operate in the No. 5, No. 6, and finisher roles. So I feel, they don’t need a Cameron Green to do that job. I would rather see him at the top of the order, either opening or at No. 3, depending on where Ajinkya Rahane wants to bat. Sunil Narine could drop down to No. 6 or No. 7 or even act as a floater."
{{/usCountry}}Full list of players acquired by RCB in the auction: Venkatesh Iyer (INR 7 crore), Jacob Duffy (INR 2 crore), Mangesh Yadav (INR 5.2 crore), Satvik Deswal (INR 30 lakhs), Jordan Cox (INR 75 lakh), Kanishk Chouhan (INR 30 lakh), Vihaan Malhotra (INR 30 lakh), and Vicky Ostwal (INR 30 lakh).
Retained:
Rajat Patidar, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Phil Salt, Jitesh Sharma, Krunal Pandya, Swapnil Singh, Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Jacob Bethell, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Nuwan Thushara, Rasikh Salam, Abhinandan Singh, Suyash Sharma.