The Royal Challengers Bangalore, the champions of IPL 2023, are preparing for the IPL 2026 mini auction with a targeted approach and a remaining budget of ₹16.4 crores. All franchises have communicated their new retention lists, while RCB has already recognized the eight overseas pace bowlers they want to court—wishing to capture at least one of them to the already nearly full team.
RCB Comes to Auction with the Settled Core
Almost all positions are secured already and RCB will not have to revamp its team. Nevertheless, they will look for deeper reserves to cover injuries and for ideal signing through the same reasons. They might have a big budget, but the franchise intends to be smart in its spending and not to be aggressive.
Bridging the Key Gaps
The management is sure that the title defense will rely heavily on plugging certain small but important gaps—especially in the fast bowling department. With Lungi Ngidi gone, overseas pacer becomes the topmost priority for the Bangalore team.
RCB’s Eye on 8 Overseas Fast Bowlers
During the IPL 2026 mini auction RCB is expected to be concerned with the following bowlers:
Matheesha Pathirana
Gerald Coetzee
Anrich Nortje
Reece Topley
Spencer Johnson
Matt Henry
The mentioned bowlers carry a combination of quick speed, control of over death, and left-arm change. These are the very qualities needed by RCB to mix well its bowling unit.
Budget Talks
It is understood that a player like Matheesha Pathirana is likely to draw a huge amount in the bidding wars, but other choices like Reece Topley, Matt Henry, and Gerald Coetzee are likely to fit well within RCB’s ₹16.4 crore budget. The franchise is going all out to take at least one of these names with them ensuring the depth is strong enough for the season.