Dinesh Karthik insults Virat Kohli while naming all-time RCB XI

Former Royal Challengers Bengaluru batter Dinesh Karthik recently picked his all-time playing XI for the franchise ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. The batting coach shared his lineup in a video on the Cricbuzz YouTube channel and snubbed veteran batter Virat Kohli for the team captaincy.

Notably, the Bengaluru-based franchise will enter the IPL 2026 season as defending champions for the first time in their league history. They won their maiden title last year under Rajat Patidar. The side will face Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in Bengaluru to open their IPL campaign on Saturday, March 28.

Rajat Patidar Named Captain Over Virat Kohli in RCB's All-Time Playing XI

Dinesh Karthik selected Chris Gayle and Faf du Plessis to open the batting for his team. Gayle scored 3,163 runs with five centuries during his franchise career. Meanwhile, du Plessis played three seasons as captain, amassing 1,636 runs with 15 half-centuries in 45 games.

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Karthik included Virat Kohli at number three. Kohli remains their leading run-getter with 8,661 runs in 259 matches at an average of 39.55, including 63 half-centuries and eight hundreds.

For the number four batting spot, the former cricketer picked Rajat Patidar and named him the captain. Patidar led the franchise to its maiden championship during the 2025 season.

Dinesh Karthik Picks AB de Villiers and Jitesh Sharma in the Middle Order

Dinesh Karthik picked AB de Villiers and Jitesh Sharma in the middle order. The South African batter scored 4,491 runs in 156 games for the franchise, including 37 half-centuries and two centuries, before he retired from all forms of franchise cricket following the end of the 2021 season.

Karthik placed Jitesh Sharma and Krunal Pandya at number six and seven, respectively. Both players joined the team recently and played vital roles during the title-winning campaign in the 2025 edition.

The left-arm spinner won three Player of the Match awards in the 2025 season. The wicketkeeper-batter also led the franchise in the absence of Patidar last year.

Dinesh Karthik Names Yuzvendra Chahal and Josh Hazlewood in Bowling Attack

In the bowling department, Dinesh Karthik picked Harshal Patel at number eight. Patel took 99 wickets for the franchise and won the Purple Cap in the 2021 season. Karthik selected fast bowler Mohammed Siraj, who secured 83 wickets in 87 games before leaving to join the Gujarat Titans.

Karthik backed veteran leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal as the specialist spinner. Chahal was part of the franchise from 2014 to 2021, taking 139 wickets in 113 matches. He picked Australian seamer Josh Hazlewood, who returned as the leading wicket-taker with 22 scalps during their championship run last year.

The cricketer-turned-commentator named Devdutt Padikkal and Bhuvneshwar Kumar as the two designated impact players.

Dinesh Karthik’s all-time RCB XI: Chris Gayle, Faf du Plessis, Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar (c), AB de Villiers, Jitesh Sharma, Krunal Pandya, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal, Josh Hazlewood.

Impact players: Devdutt Padikkal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

Also read: Sunrisers issue official statement on signing Abrar Ahmed despite Pakistan spinner’s anti-India acts