“Foreign bowlers & an Indian finisher needed” - Mohammad Kaif on RCB’s possible picks in IPL 2026 auction

Former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif has asserted that the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will go for foreign bowlers and an Indian finisher in the forthcoming IPL 2026 mini-auction, which is scheduled to take place in mid-December 2025.

Notably, the Bengaluru-based franchise has released a total of seven players ahead of the IPL 2026 auction, while they managed to retain a total of 17 players. They will enter the auction with a purse of INR 16.4 Crore.

"They will go for foreign bowlers, but Indian bowlers will also be enough. They might also look for an Indian finisher, someone like Mahipal Lomror. But RCB has created a culture where any player can shine. Devdutt Padikkal, for instance, was hardly able to lay bat on ball while playing for a different franchise. But RCB’s atmosphere was such that he grabbed the chance with both hands,” Mohammad Kaif said on his YouTube channel.

"Tim David did well, too, and so did Romario Shepherd. Shepherd made runs and took wickets in the final too. RCB had good players previously, too. But their culture is now different and Patidar has made a difference with his presence as captain. Also, the coaching staff underwent changes, too," he added.

Furthermore, Kaif reckoned that RCB had given enough importance to their bowlers, which turned out to be the key reason for them to lift the IPL 2025 title, defeating Punjab Kings by six runs in the grand finale.

"So, bowlers are getting the much-deserved backing as much as the batters did. Previously, batters used to dominate, but bowlers have been given equal importance. The result was there to be seen in IPL 2025. Regardless of which player comes to RCB, he will do well. No player is bad in IPL; the environment makes them bad. What happens in franchise cricket is teams panic after 1-2 losses," the former cricketer concluded.

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