Top bowlers RCB should retain for IPL 2026 ft. Josh Hazlewood

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From Josh Hazlewood to Bhuvneshwar Kumar, here are some top bowlers that RCB should retain for IPL 2026

Royal Challengers Bengaluru overcame their longtime struggle in finding the perfect bowling combination in IPL 2025 which led them to their maiden trophy. Spearheaded by Josh Hazlewood, RCB’s bowling attack played an integral role in allowing Rajat Patidar and co. to dominate across venues, something which RCB haven’t managed to do in the previous seasons. Ahead of the November 15 deadline for teams to submit their retentions before the IPL 2026 mini-auction, let’s take a look at some of the bowlers RCB must retain at an cost.

Bowlers RCB should retain for IPL 2026

1. Josh Hazlewood

The Australian pacer finished as RCB’s leading wicket-taker in IPL 2025. With 22 wickets from 12 matches, Hazlewood was not only the spearhead of RCB’s pace department but was also their go-to bowler when the team needed wickets. He averaged 17.54 with the ball. Despite being a part of IPL since 2020/21, Hazlewood clocked his best season in IPL 2025 although he had to miss a couple of games due to a shoulder injury.

2. Bhuvneshwar Kumar

The veteran Indian pacer rediscovered his ability to bowl lethally after moving to RCB from SRH in IPL 2025. The workhorse aced his role as second fiddle to Josh Hazlewood and was easily the best Indian pacer for RCB among the others. Bhuvi finished 8th on the list of leading wicket-takers in IPL 2025 with 17 scalps to his name.

3. Lungi Ngidi

Although the South African played just 2 games in IPL 2025, he will serve as a good back-up option for RCB in case Hazlewood is unavailable for a few fixtures. He created impact in the few opportunities he got in 2025, bagging four wickets from the couple of matches that he featured in. RCB surely won’t mind having him in their squad in the future.

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