Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 is going to start from March 28. The opening match is to be played between Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). RCB is coming out to defend its title. He ended the title drought last year. RCB has retained its core.
RCB strengthened its squad by betting on star players like Venkatesh Iyer, Jacob Duffy and Jordan Cox in the mini auction. Apart from this, the franchise spent Rs 5.20 crore on an uncapped all-rounder like Mangesh Yadav. Mangesh from Madhya Pradesh has played only 3 List-A and 2 T20 matches so far but he is being considered as RCB’s trump card.
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Mangesh will play ahead of Jacob Bethel
22-year-old Jacob Bethel made headlines by scoring a century against India in the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup 2026. This rising star of England almost snatched the match from India by playing an inning of 105 runs in 48 balls in the chase of 254 runs. Now fans are desperate to see his performance in IPL. However, it is difficult for Bethel to get a place in the playing XI of RCB, because the team already has big hitters like Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Rajat Patidar, Jitesh Sharma, Tim David and Romario Shepherd.
Bethel will get a chance if either Tim David or Romario Shepherd is ruled out. RCB would like to keep Phil Salt and Josh Hazlewood in the playing XI regularly. Hazlewood will get the support of experienced Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mangesh in the fast bowling unit. Left-arm fast bowler Mangesh is adept at bowling accurate yorkers in the death overs. Yash Dayal has been away from competitive cricket since the final of last season. In such a situation, Mangesh can be directly entered in the playing XI or he can be used as an impact player.
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Who is Mangesh Yadav?
23 year old Mangesh has made a name for himself with his killer bowling in the Madhya Pradesh T20 League. He took 14 wickets in 6 matches in this league, after which he caught the eye of Rajat Patidar and then RCB showered money on him in the auction. SRH was also in the bidding war for Mangesh but ultimately RCB won. Mangesh is also known for doing wonders with the bat in the lower order. He scored unbeaten 28 runs in 12 balls at number eight against Punjab in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
RCB’s probable playing XI:Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Rajat Patidar (captain), Devdutt Padikkal, Jitesh Sharma (wicketkeeper), Tim David/Jacob Bethel, Krunal Pandya, Romario Shepherd, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal.
Impact Player: Mangesh Yadav
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