Why RCB are dominating IPL 2026? 3 colossal non-Virat Kohli reasons revealed
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RCB have dominated this edition of the IPL as well after having won the previous edition of the competition. Virat Kohli is not the only reason behind this monumental success, as the RCB have had several other factors.
The Royal Challengers Bengaluru won IPL 2025, ending their long wait of 18 seasons. Under their skipper Rajat Patidar's leadership, RCB won their maiden IPL trophy. However, on the other hand, RCB did not start 2026 with the same players who won them the maiden title.
Josh Hazlewood and Virat Kohli were among the two major contributors in the last season of the IPL. However, Hazlewood did not start the 2026 season for the Royal Challengers, as the star Australian pacer has been ruled out of the initial stages following an injury.
Three Factors that led to RCB's initial success in IPL 2026
1. Team Balance
Keeping aside Virat Kohli as the opener, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru have many other players who have dominated in their role. Phil Salt adds fire to the batting order in the powerplay.
Devdutt Padikkal has been the most absorbing player in the RCB batting setup. Rajat Patidar, the skipper, on the other hand, has been the aggressor on the side, alongside the likes of Tim David and Jitesh Sharma.
Krunal Pandya, the Indian all-rounder, adds quality to their spin bowling department, while Bhuvneshwar Kumar adds experience to the side. Though not comprising renowned names, RCB's bowling deck looks balanced with a fine blend of youth and experience.
2. Role Clarity & Dinesh Karthik factor
A massive factor for the Royal Challengers in the IPL is the clarity of their players in their respective roles. The clarity of role was seen in the last game against the Chennai Super Kings, between the likes of Phil Salt and Virat Kohli.
When Salt failed to take on the CSK bowlers in the powerplay, Kohli attacked from the other end, while Salt took charge after his dismissal. Even the middle-order players are clear about their specific roles.
Dinesh Karthik promoted Tim David in the previous game, and he played the match-winning knock for RCB. Karthik is known for his vision, and it seems to work well for the Challengers so far in this season.
While Padikkal has sometimes been an aggressor, Patidar has left no stone unturned to demolish the opposition's attack. The depth in their unit has further given these players the liberty to score runs freely.
3 - Bowling Upgrade
RCB had all their batters from the previous edition but lacked their two assets in the bowling department. Josh Hazlewood and Yash Dayal did not feature for them, and RCB have replaced them with new options in Jacob Duffy and Abhinandan Singh.
While Singh has been good at nailing yorkers at times, RCB have understood his inexperience to the core and have used him mainly in the middle overs. Duffy's seam movement and bounce off the track have helped the RCB team.
Suyash Sharma has been used in the death overs, and the leg-spinner has amazed all with his economical spells, while Bhuvneshwar Kumar's experience has once again proved to be effective for them in the death overs.
ALSO READ: Akeal Hosein joins MS Dhoni and Dewald Brevis in CSK’s injury list amid IPL 2026
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IPL Royal Challengers Bengaluru Virat Kohli Rajat Patidar Dinesh Karthik Tim David Devdutt Padikkal Royal Challengers BangaloreAbout the Author
This author is a member of Cricketaddictor who writes news and analysis related to cricket.
