Picture Credit: BCCI/IPL
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) played magnificently in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 and pulled off their dream of winning the title after 18 years. During the competition, most of their players made crucial contributions with their performances. Virat Kohli, Josh Hazlewood, Phil Salt, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar emerged as the top performers and played a vital role in the side’s scintillating success. Krunal Pandya and Yash Dayal emerged as unsung heroes as they made silent bowling contributions to the team.
Among the pack, there were also a handful of players who couldn’t deliver as per their team’s expectations. Some are prominent names who are known for their exceptional numbers in international cricket. However, they failed to deliver their best in RCB jerseys and made it to the list of non-performing players of IPL 2025. Noting their numbers, Challengers might part ways with them before the 2026 season.
In this article, SportsTiger has listed three RCB players who are highly likely to be released from the champion side before IPL 2026.
3 players RCB might release ahead of IPL 2026
Rasikh Salam Dar
Right-arm pacer Rasikh Salam Dar became a part of RCB in the IPL 2025 mega auction at a price of INR 6 crore. However, he couldn’t justify his amount as he took only one wicket in two games at an expensive economy of 11.66. His underwhelming bowling show might go against him as Challengers might drop him from their IPL 2026 squad.
Lungi Ngidi
South Africa speedster Lungi Ngidi became a part of RCB at his base amount of INR 1 crore. Bengaluru gave him the opportunity in two games and he looked decent with the ball in his first game against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on May 3. However, he couldn’t continue form in his second match against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), registering 1/51 figures in his four-over spell. With ample fast-bowling options, RCB might not need the Protea’s services in the next season.
Liam Livingstone
RCB invested INR 8.75 crore in England all-rounder Liam Livingstone in the IPL 2025 auction. As a senior player in the team, his responsibility was to reinforce the side in all departments of the game but he looked miserable in every domain. Appearing in 10 matches, he could rack up only 112 runs and two wickets. These lackluster numbers may deny him entry in RCB’s IPL 2026 team.
