Purse of 16.4 crores: Released stars RCB can target in mini auction to win IPL 2026 title

Players RCB can target [Source: @IPLT20.COM]

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 retentions are done and dusted, and all ten sides have kept their best players in the squad for next season, while the unwanted stars have been released before the mini auction in December. One of the teams that would be relaxed before the auction is the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).

The defending champions have almost all the bases covered, and hardly need a couple of tweaks in their squad before the next season. In this piece, we take a look at RCB’s areas of concern and the players they can target with the purse remaining.

What are RCB's areas of concern before IPL mini auction

The RCB team built a strong core during the mega auction last year, and even after releasing quite a few unwanted players, the IPL champions still have a strong team for the 2026 season, with only two areas to fill in, a solid replacement for Liam Livingstone and a wicket-taking spinner.

• Livingstone was bought for INR 8.75 crores by the RCB side, but he failed to live up to the expectations as the batter could only amass 110 runs in 12 matches, with a strike rate of 133.33. The hefty price tag wasn’t justified as the team released him. In the mini auction, RCB might look to get a like-for-like replacement, but with a better track-record.
• Second, RCB also needs a wicket-taking spinner in the squad. They do have Suyash Sharma, but he was a defensive option for them.

(Suyash Sharma in IPL 2025)

• Suyash picked just 8 wickets in 14 matches, and while he was brilliant defensively, the team might look to get a wicket-taking spinner in the auction.

Players RCB can buy with 16.4 crores in IPL mini auction

David Miller

• He might have had a poor IPL 2025 season, but David Miller is a proven match-winner in the league and has loads of experience playing in the middle-order. Moreover, if the RCB matches are held in Chinnaswamy Stadium, he could be a useful weapon on a small ground.
• Also, with Miller not getting any younger, his IPL base price will certainly reduce and that would allow the Red Army to buy him at a lesser price than what LSG paid to acquire him during IPL 2025.
• The team does have Devdutt Padikkal as the lone left-hander in the top 6, but he is not as effective and as aggressive as Miller, and the RCB side might benefit with a bit of more firepower in the middle-order.

Ravi Bishnoi

If Miller sets his base price at 2 crore, and RCB manages to snatch him for a similar price, then the franchise will still have enough left in the tank to go after Ravi Bishnoi. In a surprising move, LSG released Bishnoi, and RCB could go after him in the mini auction.

(Bishnoi in IPL 2025)

• Bishnoi has ample experience of playing in the IPL, and was also the former number one T20I bowler. Quality leg-spinners are a rare commodity nowadays, and if the purse allows, RCB could go after the leggie to invest in a wicket-taking spinner.

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