New Delhi, March 25 -- Royal Challengers Bengaluru enter IPL 2026 with a unique challenge. They have to defend their first-ever IPL title. They won last year under captain Rajat Patidar after an 18-year wait.

Rather than rebuilding after their historic win, the franchise has opted for continuity. They have retained the core of the championship-winning squad and made a few targeted additions.

At the mini-auction, RCB added all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer for Rs.7 crore and New Zealand pacer Jacob Duffy as backup for Josh Hazlewood. They released Liam Livingstone, Lungi Ngidi and Mayank Agarwal.

However, two key injury concerns cloud their preparations. Josh Hazlewood is likely to miss the early games. Yash Dayal has not played competitive cr...