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
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.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.
