RCB IPL 2027: Squad Status After Back-to-Back Titles
Royal Challengers Bengaluru enter IPL 2027 as defending champions, with Rajat Patidar as captain and Andy Flower as head coach. RCB have not announced their final 2027 squad. Releases, trades and the December 2026 mini auction can still change the 25-player group that won the 2026 title.
After titles in 2025 and 2026, RCB’s task is to protect a balanced team without making unnecessary changes.
RCB IPL 2027 team status
| Detail | Current position |
|---|---|
| Full name | Royal Challengers Bengaluru |
| Short name | RCB |
| Captain | Rajat Patidar |
| Head coach | Andy Flower |
| Operating company | Royal Challengers Sports Private Limited |
| Main home venue | M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru |
| Additional 2026 home venue | Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh Stadium, Raipur |
| IPL titles | Two: 2025 and 2026 |
| IPL 2026 league finish | First, 18 points, NRR +0.783 |
| IPL 2026 final | Beat Gujarat Titans by five wickets |
| Completed 2027 trades | None announced |
| Retention deadline | November 17, 2026 |
| Mini auction | December 16 in Goa |
| Final 2027 squad | Not announced |
The official IPL RCB profile lists Rajat Patidar as captain, Andy Flower as coach, Royal Challengers Sports Private Limited as the owner entity and M. Chinnaswamy Stadium as the franchise venue.
The title-winning squad is the 2027 starting point
RCB completed their IPL 2026 squad with 25 players. It is the 2027 baseline, not the final list before releases and the mini auction.
| Role | RCB’s 25-player IPL 2026 squad |
|---|---|
| Batters and wicketkeepers | Rajat Patidar, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Tim David, Phil Salt, Jitesh Sharma, Jordan Cox |
| All rounders | Venkatesh Iyer, Krunal Pandya, Romario Shepherd, Jacob Bethell, Mangesh Yadav, Kanishk Chouhan, Satvik Deswal, Vicky Ostwal, Vihaan Malhotra |
| Bowlers | Josh Hazlewood, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yash Dayal, Rasikh Salam Dar, Suyash Sharma, Swapnil Singh, Nuwan Thushara, Jacob Duffy, Abhinandan Singh |
The current RCB squad page also displays Richard Gleeson. He joined IPL 2026 as Nuwan Thushara’s injury replacement for ₹1.6 crore. That does not automatically make Gleeson a contracted 2027 player.
That distinction explains why the current roster can show 26 names while the post-auction squad contained 25. The IPL 2027 squads page will carry the updated list.
RCB finished first and then beat Gujarat Titans twice
Royal Challengers Bengaluru won nine of 14 league matches in 2026. They finished first on 18 points, ahead of Gujarat Titans and Sunrisers Hyderabad on net run rate.
| Stage | RCB result | What decided it |
|---|---|---|
| League stage | First, 9 wins and 5 losses | +0.783 net run rate |
| Qualifier 1 | Beat Gujarat Titans by 92 runs | RCB made 254 for 5, the highest IPL playoff total |
| Final | Beat Gujarat Titans by 5 wickets | Chased 156 in 18 overs |
The playoff wins required different skills. Rajat Patidar’s unbeaten 93 from 33 balls drove the Qualifier 1 total. In the final, RCB restricted Gujarat to 155 for 8 before Virat Kohli made an unbeaten 75 from 42 balls.
RCB could overwhelm an opponent with batting, then win the final through controlled bowling and a measured chase. The squad was not dependent on one match pattern.
RCB scored fast in the powerplay and finished innings even faster
RCB scored 3,057 runs across IPL 2026, the third-highest team total in the tournament. Their 1,000 powerplay runs ranked second, while their 560 runs in the final three overs ranked first.
Virat Kohli led the team with 675 runs. Rajat Patidar scored 501 and Devdutt Padikkal added 464. Together, the three Indian batters made 1,640 runs, which was 53.6% of RCB’s season total. Kohli alone supplied 22.1%.
Kohli and Phil Salt could set a chase, Patidar and Padikkal attacked through the middle, while Tim David, Jitesh Sharma, Krunal Pandya and Romario Shepherd offered late-overs options. Venkatesh Iyer added another Indian left-hander who could move through the order.
RCB do not need another high-profile batter for name value. If an overseas finisher is released, the replacement should cover the same phase rather than duplicate the top order.
Four bowlers delivered 72.4% of RCB’s wickets
Royal Challengers Bengaluru took 105 wickets in IPL 2026. Bhuvneshwar Kumar claimed 28, finishing only one wicket behind Purple Cap winner Kagiso Rabada. Rasikh Salam Dar took 19, Josh Hazlewood 15 and Krunal Pandya 14.
Those four bowlers collected 76 wickets, or 72.4% of RCB’s total. Bhuvneshwar alone accounted for 26.7%. The numbers show why RCB’s strongest bowling plan combined Indian seam control with Hazlewood’s bounce and Krunal’s left-arm spin.
Hazlewood’s availability affects the attack’s shape, while Bhuvneshwar carries a large share of the powerplay and death-over responsibility. Jacob Duffy provided cover, but the 2027 squad needs a dependable overseas pace backup.
Krunal provides left-arm spin and batting value, while Suyash Sharma offers leg spin. Another wicket-taker would help, but protecting the pace attack is the larger need.
Rajat Patidar remains captain and Virat Kohli remains the batting leader
Rajat Patidar led RCB to their first IPL title in 2025 and defended it in 2026. His 501 runs included the decisive Qualifier 1 innings against Gujarat Titans.
Virat Kohli is not the RCB captain. He remains the franchise’s senior batter and highest-profile player, but the formal leadership position belongs to Patidar. Andy Flower continues as head coach, with the Patidar and Flower partnership now responsible for consecutive championships.
RCB do not need a captaincy reset unless the franchise announces one.
RCB have not completed an IPL 2027 trade
RCB have not announced a completed IPL 2027 trade as of November 5. The defending champions’ retained and released lists remain awaited. Follow the all-team trade tracker for approved player movement.
The IPL 2027 trade tracker separates completed moves from reported interest and previous-season transactions.
The mini auction should protect three winning roles
RCB’s purse and open slots will become clear after the release list. Their title defence points to three priorities.
- Secure overseas pace cover. Hazlewood is central to the attack, while Thushara required an injury replacement in 2026. A defined backup reduces the effect of injury or international workload.
- Keep late-overs hitting intact. RCB led the tournament with 560 runs in the final three overs. Any release involving David, Shepherd or another finisher must be followed by a role-for-role replacement.
- Add Indian bowling depth where possible. Bhuvneshwar and Rasikh took 47 wickets between them. Another Indian seamer or attacking spinner would reduce the load on the main four bowlers without consuming an overseas place.
Bengaluru is RCB’s home, but the 2027 venue split is still open
M. Chinnaswamy Stadium remains RCB’s main home venue. The franchise played five home matches in Bengaluru and two in Raipur during IPL 2026 after safety and operational reviews around the Bengaluru ground.
RCB’s 2027 home allocation has not been announced. The 2026 Bengaluru-Raipur split does not confirm the same arrangement for the next season. The IPL 2027 schedule will name the ground and start time for every home fixture.
RCB’s announced ownership transaction
United Spirits announced a definitive agreement on March 24, 2026, to sell Royal Challengers Sports Private Limited to a consortium comprising Aditya Birla Group, The Times of India Group, Bolt Ventures and Blackstone. The announced consideration was ₹166.6 billion, approximately US$1.78 billion, covering the men’s IPL and women’s WPL franchises.
The announcement made completion subject to closing conditions and regulatory approvals. Royal Challengers Sports Private Limited remains the operating company identified in the transaction.
Two titles changed RCB’s place in IPL history
RCB lost the finals in 2009, 2011 and 2016 before beating Punjab Kings by six runs for their first title in 2025. They defeated Gujarat Titans a year later to retain it.
RCB therefore enter 2027 with two titles from consecutive seasons. Their league position will appear on the IPL 2027 points table, while the IPL teams page connects every franchise profile.