A great fit for RCB; Teams who should buy Mitchell Owen if PBKS release him ahead of IPL 2026

Mitchell Owen - (Source: AFP)

On Thursday, October 23, Australia handed India a three-wicket defeat to clinch the three-match series 2-0. The Men in Blue, batting first, put 264 runs on the board. In reply, the Aussies chased down the total in 48 overs. 

Matthew Short was the star with the bat as he played a 74-run knock. Meanwhile, Cooper Connolly and Mitchell Owen also stole the limelight for their 55-run stand for the fifth wicket. 

This article will focus on Owen, who is in some fine form and is already garnering interest from franchise cricket. Notably, Owen played a quickfire 36 off 23 balls, which featured two fours and three sixes in the 2nd ODI.

It has been a year to remember for Mitchell Owen, from ending Hobart Hurricanes' trophy drought to becoming the leading run-getter in BBL 2025. It also led him to earn an IPL contract with the Punjab Kings.

However, Owen, who came in as a replacement in IPL 2025, couldn't shine in the opportunity presented to him, and there are chances that the Kings might release him ahead of the upcoming season. Thus, this article will shed light on teams that can target Mitchell Owen if the star all-rounder gets released by the Punjab Kings.

Why should teams go after Mitchell Owen?

A good all-round option

Mitchell Owen he is a great all-around option for any team. If we look at his stats in the recent events, then there are games where he has either performed with the bat or the ball. 

During BBL 2024, Owen was the leading run-getter with 452 runs in 11 innings and averaged 45.20 with the bat. He further picked up three wickets in the tournament. But his event with the ball was MLC 2025, where he took 14 wickets with the ball.

Let's look at Owen's stats in different leagues over the last year.

Flexible with batting order

One of the great pluses for any team targeting Mitchell Owen is that he is a flexible batter. The right-handed batter can open the innings and also bat in the middle-order as a finisher. 

During BBL, Mitchell Owen was utilised as an opening batter and excelled in his role. Meanwhile, in the latest events, Owen, who is on international duties, is batting in the middle-order and has done well as a finisher, as seen in the recently concluded 2nd ODI vs India. 

Thus, with two great qualities to attract franchises, this article will shed light on which three teams should target Owen.

1. Royal Challengers Bengaluru

The defending IPL champions have a solid squad and wouldn't look to change much of their team for the upcoming season. However, the Challengers will look to find a replacement for Liam Livingstone, who is the only weak link in the team.

Liam Livingstone had a below-average season where he scored just 112 runs in eight innings. Thus, Owen would be a perfect like-for-like replacement for RCB, where they can utilise the star Australian all-rounder in the middle-order, similar to how he is playing for Australia. 

2. Kolkata Knight Riders

KKR too are in dire need of an all-rounder like Mitchell Owen. KKR are struggling with their overseas openers and are looking to get rid of Quinton de Kock and Rahmanullah Gurbaz.

Meanwhile, Owen can fill that gap and also bowl during the middle-overs, which is a massive requirement at the three-time winners at the moment. 

3. Rajasthan Royals

The Rajasthan Royals have one of the weakest squads in the IPL at the moment. Further, there are rumours that Sanju Samson is most likely to leave the Royals ahead of the upcoming season. 

Thus, if that happens, then RR can have Mitchell Owen bat at the top or even play him in the middle-order as Shimron Hetmyer hasn't been as effective as he was before.

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