As the Indian Premier League gears up for another blockbuster season, Royal Challengers Bengaluru remain one of the most talked-about teams in the competition. After finally lifting their maiden IPL title last season, RCB will head into IPL 2026 as defending champions with a strong squad and renewed confidence.Ahead of the new season, RCB’s batting coach and former wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik revealed his all-time Royal Challengers Bengaluru playing XI, featuring several legendary players who have represented the franchise over the years.
Dinesh Karthik’s all-time RCB Playing XI
Chris Gayle, Faf du Plessis, Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar (Captain), AB de Villiers, Jitesh Sharma (Wicketkeeper), Krunal Pandya, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal, Josh Hazlewood
Why Virat Kohli not being captain is a surprise
Virat Kohli’s exclusion as captain is bit surprise for the fans because of his long and historic association with RCB.
- Kohli captained RCB from 2013 to 2021, one of the longest captaincy tenures in IPL history.
- He led the team in around 140–143 matches, winning 66 games and losing 70, with four matches ending without a result.
- His captaincy win percentage was around 48%
Under Kohli’s leadership, RCB reached the IPL 2016 final, which remains one of their best campaigns. That season also saw Kohli produce arguably the greatest individual IPL season ever, scoring 973 runs, still the record for most runs in a single IPL edition.
Chris Gayle: The most destructive RCB batter
One of the first names in Karthik’s XI was Chris Gayle, whose impact at RCB between 2011 and 2017 transformed the franchise’s batting identity.Chris Gayle was one of the most dominant players in the history of Royal Challengers Bengaluru. During his stint with the franchise, Gayle played 85 matches and scored 3163 runs at an average of over 41, smashing five centuries and 19 half-centuries. His most iconic knock came in 2013 when he blasted an unbeaten 175 against Pune Warriors, which still stands as the highest individual score in IPL history. Alongside Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers, Gayle formed one of the most feared batting trios in the league, often referred to as RCB’s golden-era lineup, capable of dismantling any bowling attack on their day.
Why Shane Watson did not make the XI
The omission of Shane Watson also surprised some fans, considering his reputation as a world-class all-rounder. However, Watson’s RCB stint came late in his IPL career and his numbers for the franchise were relatively modest. Watson had far more success with Rajasthan Royals and Chennai Super Kings, which likely influenced Karthik’s decision to leave him out.
Rajat Patidar named captain
One of the most notable choices in Karthik’s XI was naming Rajat Patidar as captain instead of long-time skipper Virat Kohli. Karthik explained that Patidar’s leadership and recent performances played a major role in his decision.“He’s the most successful captain, let’s start there. As a batter, the impact he has given in the short time he has played for RCB has been phenomenal. He is such a key player for RCB. In fact, I’ll go a step ahead and say that he would be my captain,” Karthik said on Cricbuzz.While acknowledging Kohli’s long and successful stint as RCB captain, Karthik said Patidar’s title-winning leadership gave him the edge.
Karthik praises Krunal Pandya’s impact
Karthik also highlighted the contribution of Krunal Pandya, especially for his performance during the championship-winning season.“If RCB has the trophy today, it is largely due to how well he bowled in that final and the Man of the Match performance he had against CSK. He played such a pivotal role last year,” Karthik said.
RCB’s Bowling setup
Harshal Patel and Yuzvendra Chahal earned their spots in the bowling attack primarily due to their outstanding records with Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Chahal remains one of the most successful spinners in the franchise’s history, while Harshal’s wicket-taking ability made him a standout performer during his time with the team. Josh Hazlewood was included at No. 11 following his impressive performances in the IPL 2025 season, where he played a key role with the ball. Meanwhile, Dinesh Karthik opted for Mohammed Siraj as Hazlewood’s new-ball partner ahead of former RCB bowlers Vinay Kumar and Sreenath Aravind, explaining that Siraj’s selection was based largely on the sheer volume of wickets he has taken for the franchise over the years.After ending their long wait for the IPL trophy last season, Royal Challengers Bengaluru will now aim to defend their title in the upcoming season.
