The IPL 2025 final was one of the most-watched IPL games as it featured Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), the franchise touted to have the largest fanbase of the 10 IPL teams around the world.
This was RCB’s, and Virat Kohli’s, fourth appearance in an IPL final. They have succumbed to defeat in the previous three IPL finals, in 2009, 2011, and 2016.
However, nine years on from the heartbreaking defeat in the 2016 IPL final, RCB and Kohli ended their long wait of 17 years to get their hands on the IPL trophy by thumping the Punjab Kings in the IPL 2025 final in Ahmedabad. The images of an emotional Kohli tearing up even before the trophy was officially sealed linger even after a year and will continue to do so.
On March 11, 2026, the BCCI revealed the schedule for the first phase of the upcoming edition, along with the IPL 2026 match venues of the upcoming edition, confirming that the IPL 2026 season opener will see defending champions RCB host Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on March 28.
The first phase schedule comprises 20 matches from March 28 to April 12 and includes four RCB matches in IPL 2026.
In the league stage, RCB are slated to play five matches in Bengaluru and two “home” games in Raipur. The Chinnaswamy Stadium is also allotted one playoff game and the final this year.
RCB IPL 2026 Full Match Schedule at a Glance
In the IPL 2026 phase 1 schedule announced by the BCCI, RCB have four fixtures lined up. The first two are home matches, and the next two are on the road.
In the opening game of IPL 2026, Rajat Patidar’s RCB will host Pat Cummins’ SRH on March 28 before taking on state rivals Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on April 5 in Bengaluru.
The next two games in the RCB IPL 2026 fixtures list are both away matches – in Guwahati, which is the second home ground of Rajasthan Royals (RR), on April 10; and in Mumbai on April 12 against Hardik Pandya’s Mumbai Indians (MI).
All of RCB’s first four games in IPL 2026 are night matches, scheduled for a kickoff time of 7:30 PM IST.
IPL 2026 RCB matches Phase 1 schedule:
| Match | Date | Opponent | Venue | Time (IST) |
| 1 | March 28 | Sunrisers Hyderabad | M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru | 7:30 PM |
| 2 | April 5 | Chennai Super Kings | M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru | 7:30 PM |
| 3 | April 10 | Rajasthan Royals | Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati | 7:30 PM |
| 4 | April 12 | Mumbai Indians | Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai | 7:30 PM |
Note: Phase 2 schedule is yet to be announced as of the time of writing.
RCB Home Matches at M Chinnaswamy Stadium
On March 16, the Karnataka State Cricket Association got the official permission they had been waiting for from the government of Karnataka to host the IPL matches at RCB’s home ground, M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru Similar to other iconic venues, analyzing IPL records at major stadiums helps understand team performance trends.
The venue was banned from hosting large-audience events following the tragic and unfortunate stampede last year during RCB’s victory parade, which caused multiple deaths and injuries.
Now that the stadium has attained permission from the government, RCB will look to entertain their home crowd once again as they enter the IPL 2026 as the defending champions.
As mentioned above, the RCB IPL matches in Phase 1 at Chinnaswamy are against SRH on March 28 and against CSK on April 2.
The RCB vs CSK clash has always been a blockbuster event due to the involvement of two of Indian cricket’s biggest and larger-than-life superstar cricketers, MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli.
The stakes of the RCB vs CSK match have gone a few notches higher as RCB have beaten CSK in their last three matches.
RCB’s record at their home ground, M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, hasn’t ever been great. Across history, RCB have won and lost 50 games each at the Chinnaswamy Stadium; in the last two seasons, they won and lost six games each at their home venue, while in IPL 2025, they won two and lost three.
RCB’s ordinary record at the Chinnaswamy Stadium is because of the flat pitch and chase-friendly conditions; RCB’s batting-focused structure hasn’t allowed them to make Chinnaswamy a fortress, like CSK and MI have done with their home grounds.
RCB Away Fixtures and the Challenges They Face
Now, on to the RCB away matches in Phase 1 of the IPL 2026. After hosting SRH and CSK, RCB’s next match will be against Rajasthan Royals in Guwahati on April 10 and then against Mumbai Indians in Mumbai on April 12.
The challenge for RCB in these two away matches will be somewhat similar to what they encounter at their home ground: both Barsapara Cricket Stadium and Wankhede Stadium are batting-friendly grounds where the chasing team gets the advantage of dew.
So, in case RCB are put into bat first in the RCB vs RR game and the RCB vs MI match, Patidar’s batting department will have to assess an above-par total to challenge the home teams.
RCB as Defending Champions What Changed This Year
For the first time in IPL history, RCB will walk into a tournament with the tag of defending champions. The franchise and its fans are brimming with confidence as they desire to become only the third team to win back-to-back IPL trophies.
Given that they won the title, RCB’s auction strategy was clear, following the IPL 2026 retention rules to maintain their core squad: retain the majority of the squad from the trophy-winning campaign and find backups for first-choice players.
RCB retained 17 players from last season’s squad. In the IPL 2026 auction, they roped in Jacob Duffy and Mangesh Yadav are backups for Josh Hazlewood, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Yash Dayal.
The headlining purchase made by RCB, though, was Venkatesh Iyer for INR 7 crore. Venkatesh is likely to push Devdutt Padikkal out of the playing XII, while RCB need to find a way to get Jacob Bethell in the side.
The IPL 2026 provides a great opportunity for Rajat Patidar to hone his stature as a captain and batsman.
RCB IPL 2026 Squad Breakdown Stars and New Additions
Head coach Andy Flower’s philosophy after winning the championship seemed to be to retain most of the players who contributed to the team’s cause or are good enough to be part of the playing XII in an IPL match. Thus, RCB retained 17 players and released seven.
RCB retained players list:
- Virat Kohli
- Phil Salt (wk)
- Devdutt Padikkal
- Krunal Pandya
- Rajat Patidar (C)
- Tim David
- Romario Shepherd
- Jitesh Sharma (wk)
- Bhuvneshwar Kumar
- Abhinandan Singh
- Yash Dayal
- Josh Hazlewood
- Suyash Sharma
- Jacob Bethell
- Nuwan Thushara
- Rasikh Dar
- Swapnil Singh
Key Retentions and Their Roles in IPL 2026
The core players retained from the potential first-choice playing XII for RCB matches in IPL 2026 are Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Rajat Patidar, Krunal Pandya, Romario Shepherd, Jitesh Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yash Dayal, Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma, and Jacob Bethell.
Former RCB captain and Indian spin legend Anil Kumble was impressed by the RCB squad depth, pointing out that Padikkal and Venkatesh Iyer will potentially be fighting for one spot.
New Auction Signings and What They Bring to the Table
RCB acquired the services of all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer for INR 7 crore in the IPL 2026 auction, while their second-most expensive purchase was left-arm pace-bowling all-rounder Mangesh Yadav for INR 5.2 crore. A proven match-winner, Venkatesh will likely jostle with Padikkal for a place in the playing XII, while Mangesh could be seen in IPL 2026 RCB matches later in the tournament.
Further, RCB have got Jacob Duffy and Jordan Cox as backups for Hazlewood and Salt. RCB picked up four other uncapped Indian players at INR 30 lakh each.
RCB auction buys IPL 2026:
- Venkatesh Iyer (India) INR 7 crore
- Mangesh Yadav (India) INR 5.20 crore
- Jacob Duffy (New Zealand) INR 2 crore
- Jordan Cox (England) INR 75 lakh
- Satwik Deswal (India) INR 30 lakh
- Vihaan Malhotra (India) INR 30 lakh
- Kanishk Chouhan (India) INR 30 lakh
- Vicky Ostwal (India) INR 30 lakh
Players to Watch in Every RCB IPL Match This Season
Since RCB held on to 17 of their squad members from their historic IPL 2025 victorious contingent, they have a plethora of stars who could emerge as the RCB top performers and the key players in IPL 2026 for the franchise. Let’s see a few of these RCB key players whom you must watch out for in IPL 2026.
Virat Kohli The Heartbeat of RCB Batting in 2026
Virat Kohli is the only player to have played all 18 IPL seasons, and now 19, for a single franchise. ‘King’ Kohli leads the IPL runs chart, with 8661 runs from 267 matches. Virat Kohli holds the IPL century record (8) and also the tally for most fifties (63).
Kohli was the third-highest run-getter in IPL 2025, as RCB heavily depended on the former captain’s pyrotechnics with the bat. He amassed 657 runs, cracking eight fifties in 15 innings. Kohli’s strike rate in IPL 2025 was 144, a marked improvement on previous editions.
In any RCB IPL match, Kohli is always the one on whom all eyeballs and the limelight are fixated.
Josh Hazlewood and the Pace Attack Fitness Is Everything
While the likes of Kohli, Salt, and Patidar did the lifting with the bat in IPL 2025, RCB wouldn’t have been able to clinch their maiden IPL trophy if not for Josh Hazlewood’s outstanding bowling show throughout the competition.
In IPL 2025, Hazlewood claimed 22 wickets, the third-most that season, in 12 outings at an average of 17.5, with a best of 4/33. The Aussie speedster, well-known for bowling hard lengths and keeping a leash on the batsmen, bowled the last over in RCB’s defense in the final under immense pressure.
Hazlewood’s fitness for IPL 2026, however, is under a cloud. Hazlewood has not played any form of cricket since November, missing The Ashes and the T20 World Cup, owing to a calf injury that was followed by Achilles and calf issues.
Less than two weeks out from the start of the IPL 2026, it’s still not clear whether Hazlewood will play in the opening match of the season. RCB’s chances of securing a second consecutive title significantly rely on Hazlewood.
SWOT Analysis Can RCB Successfully Defend the IPL Title
Let’s check out the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats for RCB matches in IPL 2026.
| Strengths:Trophy-winning core members retainedVirat Kohli, Jacob Bethell in formMost powerful finishers/lower-order with David, Jitesh, Krunal, Shepherd | Weaknesses:Hazlewood injury-proneDavid out of formOrdinary record at home ground |
| Opportunities:Venkatesh Iyer to bounce back after poor last seasonBethell to make a mark on IPLBack-to-back IPL trophies | Threats:Stronger and more-balanced looking team of MI, KKRTwo “home” league matches in RaipurQuality drops after first playing XII |
Top RCB Matches in IPL 2026 That Could Define Their Season
Although the phase 1 schedule includes only four IPL 2026 RCB matches, three of them have the potential to define RCB’s IPL 2026 season and their eventual standings in the league stage.
The first two RCB matches – RCB vs SRH on March 28 and RCB vs CSK on April 5 – could be the season-defining games for Patidar’s side. These games not only will set the tone for RCB, but they will also reveal how the team collectively performs while players unite amid their varied form and fitness.
Their fourth match, RCB vs MI on April 12, will be a marquee fixture, pitting RCB against what has been touted by many as potentially aa championship-contending Mumbai Indians team, whose Mumbai Indians squad looks extremely balanced.
Conclusion
In the RCB IPL 2026 season preview outline, the franchise would know how difficult it is to win back-to-back IPL titles – a feat achieved only twice in 18 years – while their fans are confident that RCB will finish on the podium once again, having ended their jinx last year.
Keep a tab on this website to follow RCB live matches, injury updates, and all information about the RCB next IPL match.
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