RCB Playing XI: Squad, Captain and the Team That Won IPL 2025 and 2026

Searching for the RCB playing XI? The answer has changed completely since this page predicted a Faf du Plessis-led side for IPL 2024. Royal Challengers Bengaluru are now the back-to-back IPL champions. Under captain Rajat Patidar they won their first title in 2025 and defended it in 2026, with Virat Kohli still at the heart of the batting.

Quick answer: RCB's XI in the IPL 2026 final was Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (c), Krunal Pandya, Tim David, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Romario Shepherd, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Jacob Duffy and Rasikh Salam, with Venkatesh Iyer as the Impact Player. They beat Gujarat Titans by 5 wickets in Ahmedabad on 31 May 2026. The squad for IPL 2027 will be set by the retention deadline on 17 November 2026 and the mini-auction in Goa on 16 December 2026.

RCB playing XI in the IPL 2026 final

Impact Player: Venkatesh Iyer, who opened the chase and made 32 off 16 balls. Other squad regulars included Phil Salt, Suyash Sharma, Swapnil Singh and Abhinandan Singh.

Also read: Top 3 Cricket Content Creators on YouTube in India (2026): Best Cricket YouTubers

How RCB won IPL 2026

RCB topped the league table with 9 wins from 14 matches (18 points). They beat Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 1 in Dharamshala, where their 254/5 was the highest total in IPL playoff history, then beat GT again in the final.

In the final, Gujarat were held to 155/8. Rasikh Salam took 3/27, Bhuvneshwar 2/29 and Hazlewood 2/37. Kohli's unbeaten 75 off 42 balls, with a 25-ball fifty, took RCB to 161/5 with two overs to spare. Patidar became only the third captain to defend an IPL title, after MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma.

Kohli also became the first player to reach 9,000 IPL runs, and Bhuvneshwar became the first fast bowler to take 200 IPL wickets.

What happened to the IPL 2024 prediction

The original version of this page predicted Faf du Plessis as captain, with Cameron Green, Glenn Maxwell, Dinesh Karthik, Alzarri Joseph and Lockie Ferguson in a revamped side. Here is how IPL 2024 actually went:

• RCB lost seven of their first eight games, then won six in a row to sneak into the playoffs in 4th place.

• They lost the Eliminator to Rajasthan Royals, and Dinesh Karthik retired from the IPL after that match.

• Kohli won the Orange Cap with 741 runs.

IPL 2025: the first title after 18 years

Before the 2025 mega auction RCB kept only three players: Virat Kohli (₹21 crore), Rajat Patidar (₹11 crore) and Yash Dayal (₹5 crore). Patidar was then named captain. At the auction they built a deep bowling attack and a power-hitting middle order.

RCB finished second in the league, thrashed Punjab Kings in Qualifier 1, and beat them again by 6 runs in the final on 3 June 2025 in Ahmedabad. Krunal Pandya was Player of the Match.

The celebrations ended in tragedy. On 4 June 2025, a crush outside the M Chinnaswamy Stadium during the victory event killed 11 people and led to official inquiries. The 2026 final was later moved from Bengaluru to Ahmedabad; the BCCI said local requirements for hosting it went beyond its established guidelines.

Also read: Why Harry Brook Pulled Out of IPL 2024, His 2025 Withdrawal and the IPL Ban Explained

Changes before IPL 2026

• Released: Liam Livingstone, Mayank Agarwal, Lungi Ngidi, Blessing Muzarabani and Tim Seifert, among others.

• Bought at the December 2025 auction: Venkatesh Iyer (₹7 crore), Mangesh Yadav (₹5.2 crore), New Zealand pacer Jacob Duffy (₹2 crore) and England's Jordan Cox.

• Missed the season: Jacob Bethell (finger injury) and Yash Dayal (personal reasons). Richard Gleeson replaced Nuwan Thushara.

• Ownership: in March 2026, Diageo's Indian arm United Spirits announced the sale of RCB to a consortium including the Aditya Birla Group, the Times Group, Bolt Ventures and Blackstone, in a deal reported at about $1.78 billion.

FAQs

Who is the captain of RCB?

Rajat Patidar. He was appointed before IPL 2025 and has led RCB to two titles. Jitesh Sharma stood in for one match in 2026.

How many IPL trophies have RCB won?

Two: IPL 2025 and IPL 2026. Before 2025, RCB had lost three finals (2009, 2011 and 2016).

Who won the IPL 2026 final?

RCB beat Gujarat Titans by 5 wickets at the Narendra Modi Stadium on 31 May 2026. Virat Kohli was Player of the Match.

Who is the RCB coach?

Andy Flower is head coach, with Dinesh Karthik as batting coach and mentor.

Where does RCB play its home matches?

At the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. In 2026, two home games were played in Raipur.

For more, read why Virat Kohli divides opinion, the full IPL 2025 schedule and results, and the highest totals in IPL history.

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