IPL 2026 Trade Bargain: 3 RCB Players CSK Might Target For Next Season

Probuddha Bhattacharjee

Liam Livingstone for RCB [Source: @Jay_Cricket12/x.com]Liam Livingstone for RCB [Source: @Jay_Cricket12/x.com]

The contrast between RCB and CSK could not have been more stark during IPL 2025. While Royal Challengers Bengaluru celebrated their maiden IPL triumph in 2021, Chennai Super Kings endured their darkest hour, finishing at the bottom of the table for the first time in their history. Yet, within this tale of contrasting fortunes, like an intriguing subplot, RCB's champion squad harbours some underperforming assets that could become key cogs in CSK's redemption story.

Key Insight: CSK's season with just four seasons masked their strategic clarity. They know exactly what went wrong and, more importantly, which types of players can address the issues.

1. Liam Livingstone 

RCB won the IPL despite one of their big auction buys, Liam Livingstone, not delivering as expected. At ₹8.75 Cr, the English all-rounder delivered only 112 runs across 10 innings at a miserly strike rate as per his standards. 

Analytical Insight: Livingstone's failure at RCB stemmed from confusion of role, not talent erosion. His career numbers (SR: 143.96, boundary percentage: 18.28%) suggest a player probably trapped in the wrong system.

CSK might see an opportunity in Livingstone if RCB shuns him as a liability. The franchise that transformed Shivam Dube from a ₹ 50 Lakh afterthought into a match winner could spot a probable match-winner in Livingstone.

What Livingstone Brings To CSK: During IPL 2025, CSK struggled due to the lack of a power hitter in the middle order and proper batters who could have provided powerful finishes. The induction of Livingstone might exactly be the boos the five time champions need to script a dramatic turn around in IPL 2026.

2. Suyash Sharma

Suyash Sharma [Source: @coach_dk19/x.com]Suyash Sharma [Source: @coach_dk19/x.com]

The 25-year-old leg-spinner did a decent job for the Royal Challengers in the opportunities he got. However, Suyash Sharma did not deliver anything outstanding or extraordinary during the campaign.

Analytical Framework: RCB's home conditions did not provide a thriving atmosphere for Suyash's leg spin. His economy rate of 8.84 during the IPL 2025 campaign becomes very impressive when contextualised against RCB's batting paradise at Chinnaswamy.

CSK's spin legacy, from Muttiah Muralitharan, Ravichandran Ashwin to Ravindra Jadeja, prove they possess the institutional knowledge to nurture spinners. Sharma represents the antithesis of CSK's traditional finger-spin dominance, offering tactical unpredictability that could trouble even the most seasoned batters in fleeting moments.

Value Proposition: A ₹1.5-2 crore cash deal represents minimal risk for potentially transformative reward.

3. Rasikh Salam Dar

Rasikh Salam Dar [Source: @bgt2025/x.com]Rasikh Salam Dar [Source: @bgt2025/x.com]

Two matches, one wicket, a ₹6 crore price tag. On paper, Rasikh Salam represents everything wrong with modern IPL economics. Yet CSK might show an interest in this young bowler, thinking beyond immediate returns.

Long-term Vision: At 25, Salam embodies the pace bowling proposition that CSK's attack might benefit from. His minimal game time at RCB suggests untapped potential rather than proven inadequacy.

The Rebuilding Blueprint

These three trade moves would address the fundamental flaws that condemned CSK to their worst-ever IPL season. Livingstone solves the power-hitting void left by aging stalwars, Sharma adds the spin mystery that opposition batters might struggle against, and Salam provides a pace variation missing from their attack.

For CSK, it's about returning to basics - identifying undervalued talent and creating an environment where it flourishes. The Chepauk factor - slower pitches, spin-friendly conditions, and a patient development approach - could unlock the potential that RCB might have failed to harness.