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JioStar expert, Anil Kumble, spoke exclusively to CNN-News18, where he shared his thoughts on the team’s strategy and areas of focus.
RCB to search for Josh Hazlewood’s back-up within the IPL 2026 mini-auction
Royal Challengers Bengaluru would be the defending champions, however the franchise still has a couple of gaps to handle ahead of the IPL 2026 mini-auction. RCB head into the auction with a handbag of just over ₹16 crore, having trimmed their title-winning squad to permit for smart, targeted additions somewhat than major changes.
Before the RCB management makes its picks from the auction pool, former RCB captain and JioStar expert, Anil Kumble, spoke exclusively to CNN-News18, where he shared his thoughts on the team’s strategy and areas of focus.
Here’re the edited excerpts:
Which bowler will RCB goal as a back-up for Josh Hazlewood?
They’ll actually should search for an overseas fast bowler. I’m a bit surprised that they let go of Lungi Ngidi because he was there at Rs 1 crore, his base price. Nonetheless, there’s an option now. Anrich Nortje, Matt Henry, Gerald Coetzee… I believe out of those 3, for my part, Nortje may go barely higher or perhaps a Matt Henry. They are going to need a little bit of experience and Nortje and Matt Henry bring you that.
Will RCB search for a spinner to share responsibilities with Suyash Sharma?
Yeah, ideally. Now that Bishnoi is within the auction, ideally, RCB could have gone for him. I’m undecided whether 16 crores is sufficient to have him because there’ll be other teams who wish to get Ravi Bishnoi if he doesn’t come.
Then there’s Rahul Chahar as an option, but I doubt even RCB could get him. So, perhaps a [Kumar] Karthikeya may very well be an option. He bowls left-arm spin, he’s much quicker, he has the experience, he’s first-class bowler too, and he also bowls wrist spin.
So, I believe RCB could potentially take a look at Kumar Karthikeya within the mini-auction.
Do you expect RCB to renew interest in Venkatesh Iyer, provided that they went big for him within the mega-auction last 12 months?
I believe so. I believe Venkatesh here actually brings in that flexibility. You very rarely get an experienced Indian international IPL player. A left-hander can bat from no. 1 to no. 5. RCB will definitely go for it, however it is determined by the worth because they only have 16 crores.
I believe their first approach can be to fortify their fast bowling unit. An Indian fast bowler backup can also be required, someone for Josh Hazelwood and perhaps potentially a spinner. Someone can pack up Krunal and Suyash.
So, that will probably be their priority. But when Venkatesh goes for a lesser amount, perhaps yes, because that’s an option.
(Catch all of the motion from the TATA IPL 2026 mini-auction, December 16, 2:30 PM onwards, LIVE on JioHotstar and Star Sports Network)
Click here so as to add News18 as your chosen news source on Google. December 16, 2025, 06:00 IST
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