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Former India cricketer Abhinav Mukund has raised questions about Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)’s plans for the next season following the IPL 2026 auction in Abu Dhabi on December 16. RCB made a splash by signing Indian all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer for Rs 7 crore, bringing in the left-handed batsman to strengthen their top-order lineup.
On paper, it looks like a big addition, but Mukund believes that Venkatesh Iyer may not actually get a place in RCB’s starting XI in IPL 2026. The cricket expert pointed out that RCB’s problem is Devdutt Padikkal, who is in excellent form and is already one of the top players.
Abhinav Mukund questions RCB plans, doubts Venkatesh Iyer’s availability in IPL 2026
Mukund also mentioned that even RCB batting coach Dinesh Karthik is unsure about Venkatesh Iyer’s place considering Padikkal’s recent performance. “He can bat anywhere from one to seven. He can also give us one or two runs if we need to. He is a utilitarian player and we take him very seriously in the big auctions,” Karthik said after the auction.
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Notably, Padikkar played a key role in RCB winning the 2025 IPL title despite playing only 10 games due to injury. He scored 247 runs with a strike rate of over 150 runs. Even Padikkar is in excellent form with the bat in the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025-26.
Padikkar has so far scored 309 runs in six games of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025-26 at an average of 61.8 and a strike rate of 167.02, including 1 and 2 fifties.
DK noncommittal on Venkatesh Iyer’s place in XI: Abhinav Mukund
With Padikkar in such good form, Mukund feels that Venkatesh Iyer should not be rushed into the starting XI. He feels that RCB’s top seven have performed well and there is no need to change the winning combination in the upcoming IPL 2026.
ESPNCricinfo quoted Abhinav Mukund as saying, “DK came on our show and we asked him if Venkatesh will start in the starting XI and DK was non-committal. He said Padikkal was in very good form. Last year, Venkatesh’s stock price was much higher than Padikkal’s but if you look now, Devdutt “It was great last year and I don’t think Venkatesh started, nor should he, they had great success in the front seven.”
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Sanjay Bangar questions RCB’s IPL 2026 auction strategy
Former RCB and India batting coach Sanjay Bangar has questioned RCB’s auction strategy. He feels the team missed an opportunity to strengthen the spin department, which was a weakness last season. With spinners like Ravi Bishnoi and Rahul Chahar and RCB still having money in their wallet, Bangar wonders why they chose to spend big on Venkatesh Iyer.
Bangal also pointed out that spending money on a player who might not even feature in the starting lineup can be risky, especially when a team needs to bolster its rotation options. However, he still believes Venkatesh is a good cricketer and could be a valuable back-up option for RCB next season.
He further said, “Spin was a bit of a question mark last season. You would expect that when you have Bishnoi and Chahar, they are both good options. They also have the wallet. So why spend the money on something they may not take advantage of?”
