RCB’s Batting Blueprint for IPL 2026: Champions Ready to Defend Their Crown
Defending champions RCB unveil a powerful batting lineup for IPL 2026, combining experience, firepower, and all-round depth.
RCB’s star-studded batting order featuring Kohli, Salt, Patidar and Tim David ahead of their IPL 2026 title defence.
Being the defending champions, Royal Challengers Bengaluru come confidently, clearly, and with a batting order that adds up as the mixture of explosiveness and experience into IPL 2026. RCB, having finally achieved the laying of the hands on the elusive title, are not planning to reinvent the wheel—they rather going on with a core that has already proved its mettle under pressure and is now strengthening it.
Up front, Phil Salt and Virat Kohli make a vibrant dynamic opening pair. Salt's adventurous stroke-making goes hand in hand with Kohli's elegance and reliability and thus powerplay becomes for RCB perfectly balanced between aggression and stability. Very few teams can claim to have such a versatile opening partnership.
The middle order is not less imposing at all. The first of either Devdutt Padikkal or Venkatesh Iyer, followed by Rajat Patidar, means that the batting order may be flexible depending on the conditions and the opponent. Patidar, in particular, has become a clutch player, always ready to either anchor or accelerate, depending on the situation.
The real power comes in the lower middle order. Tim David brings tremendous strength and finishing skill while Jitesh Sharma supplies the team with eagerness, fast runs, and his excellent wicketkeeping abilities. With these two strong men around, RCB will be able to keep the pressure on during the closing overs.
The quality of the players who can do both batting and bowling is giving the lineup even more strength. Romario Shepherd brings mighty strikes as a batsman and quick pace as a bowler, while Krunal Pandya provides the experience, control, and variety of left-handed—important in being victorious in tight contests.
RCB’s batting unit for IPL 2026 is not only capable of defending the title but also of ruling the stage again, with a stable core, proven match-winners, and the confidence of champions. It is very apparent: the champions are ready, and they are serious about it.
