5 Players RCB might release ahead of IPL 2026 auction

Royal Challengers Bengaluru reached the 2025 final and finally ended their title drought, but winning a trophy doesn’t remove roster headaches. RCB enter the post-season with salary pressure, overseas limits and overlapping skill-sets. These are the exact reasons franchises trim squads before an auction. Here are five players who make sense as release candidates, based on how RCB used them in IPL 2025, their price/availability and the squad balance RCB will likely chase.

1. Liam Livingstone

Livingstone had a miserable IPL season, and that's certainly not his first time now. He was bought in with high hopes and played for as many as 10 matches at a ridiculously high price, but managed to score just 112 runs and took two wickets.

These stats and the price at which he came certainly don’t justify the name he comes with as well. He has been quite erratic with his performances in international cricket as well, and not wishing to continue with him would absolutely make sense for the future of the franchise, as it opens up a slot for better, promising players.

2. Mayank Agarwal 

Mayank was signed mid-season as a replacement for the injured Devdutt Padikkal and played a useful part in the final stages, including contributions in the knockout run. But he’s a stop-gap signing (replacement contract) rather than a long-term fit for RCB’s evolving top order. 

With younger openers and specialists available, keeping Mayank, who is an experienced domestic star but commands a decent wage, may not be the best allocation of funds. Releasing him would free an Indian batting slot and salary to back a specialist powerplay batter or a multi-format young talent. He had not done too great a job to hold onto his place in the squad.

3. Lungi Ngidi

Ngidi showed his value when available, but he missed part of the season (WTC commitments), and RCB signed a temporary replacement (Blessing Muzarabani). That underlines the risk of investing a valuable overseas slot in a player with partial availability. Apart from that, he has also been very expensive in his spells, which might not strengthen his case.

RCB’s depth of pace options (Hazlewood, Josh and others) means management might prefer to turn an uncertain overseas slot into multiple dependable Indian seam options or an all-format overseas seamer who’s guaranteed for the full season. Releasing Ngidi would be a financially and logistically sensible move if RCB want guaranteed availability.

4. Rasikh Salam Dar

Rasikh arrived with a big auction price and plenty of hype after an earlier IPL promise. He showed glimpses of raw pace in 2025 but did not consistently produce match-winning spells for RCB. For a seam bowler bought on potential and pace, IPL squads expect regular penetration or at least tight overs, which Rasikh didn’t always deliver in a full-season pool of seam options. Releasing him would let RCB recoup purse and target a specialist death bowler or a domestic pacer with higher consistency.

5. Nuwan Thushara

Thushara joined as an overseas seamer with a slingy action and league experience. He was useful when given overs, but he occupies the same role as multiple other seamers in the squad. If RCB want to balance their side with an extra Indian seamer, an experienced allrounder or a marquee overseas batter, Thushara is an obvious name to free purse space. His global resale value should still be solid, but releasing him gives RCB flexibility.

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