The 19th edition of the IPL is just at the doorstep, and all the franchises are in a battle against time to prepare themselves for the most-awaited franchise cricket league in the world. Last time, we witnessed one of the most iconic moments in IPL history: the trophyless team that had played 3 finals over 18 long seasons finally got their hands on the majestic IPL trophy. The Royal Challengers Bengaluru will be going into the IPL 2026 edition with a star on their jersey and a heart filled with pride. After many bold moves in the recent auctions, the staff and players are keen to win consecutive IPL titles to enter the elite list of such franchises. However, if they are to achieve another similar dream run, they need all the departments of the team to fire, but the spotlight will be on these 3 key players:
3) Krunal Pandya
Krunal Pandya, the Indian all-rounder, was retained by the Royal Challengers Bengaluru ahead of the IPL 2026 auction. In his IPL career, he has scored 1756 runs at a strike rate of 132 and also picked up 93 wickets at an economy rate of 7 from 142 matches. He was considered to be the “steal deal” of the IPL 2025 auction, due to his experience playing for title-winning franchises like the Mumbai Indians and his ability to contribute with both bat and ball. Krunal Pandya played a key role in the IPL 2025 season, picking up 17 wickets and scoring over 100 runs. The most important aspect of his bowling, especially in grounds like the Chinnaswamy, is his ability to get the ball to skid off the surface with pace and his variations, which outfox most of the batters. From a batting point of view, RCB is a powerpacked unit with a good amount of batting depth. The role that Krunal Pandya will potentially play is that if RCB loses 3 wickets early in the innings, they wouldn’t want their power-hitters like Jithesh Sharma or Tim David to be exposed that early in the innings. In such situations, he could be sent up the order to stabilise the batting unit and save some firepower in the back-end of the innings, like the innings he played against the Delhi Capitals in the previous season. So, Krunal’s performance with both bat and ball will play a pivotal role in the flexibility and balance of the team.
Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli, the only player in the history of the IPL to play for the same franchise for 18 years, right from the inaugural edition of the tournament, will be eyeing another star in the jersey. Virat Kohli has been a strong holding force in the RCB batting unit for more than a decade, and he is cherished by fans all across the country. He is the all-time leading runscorer in the tournament’s history with 8,661 runs in 267 matches, and he also holds the record for the most runs in a single season, when he scored 973 runs in the 2016 season. Kohli has retired from the Test format and the T20I format, which helps him divert his focus to just the ODI format and the IPL. He has been in incredible touch on the international stage in his recent tour, and in the previous edition of the IPL, he had scored 657 runs from 15 innings. For a long period of time, RCB was heavily reliant on just a couple of batters for runs, putting pressure on Kohli for more and more runs. However, RCB now possesses one of the most dangerous batting units in the tournament, and Kohli will be relieved that a significant amount of stress is off his shoulders. With Virat Kohli in fabulous touch, he will play a huge role in the top order of the side, and his experience will add a lot more value to the side in the quest for a consecutive title win.
Josh Hazlewood
Josh Hazlewood is a phenomenal Australian fast bowler who is known for his accuracy and wicket-taking abilities. He played for RCB in the 2022 and 2023 seasons, which gave a massive boost to the bowling unit. RCB picked him back in the 2025 mega-auction, and he played a huge role in helping RCB win their maiden title. In his IPL career, he has scalped 57 wickets from 39 matches at an economy rate of 8. The Bengaluru side has prioritised the efficiency of their bowling unit in recent times, and their huge investment in Hazlewood paid them dividends. The RCB bowling unit is often considered vulnerable by their stats as they play the majority of their games at Chinnaswamy, which is considered a graveyard for bowlers. However, Hazlewood has been disciplined with his lengths, and he can often change the game on its head with clinical breakthroughs at crucial phases of the game. He adds a lot of value to the squad with his execution of plans with the new ball and in the death overs. With the growing fearless approach among batters in T20 cricket, the success of RCB will be dependent on the fitness and performance of Josh Hazlewood throughout this season.
