IPL 2026: RCB without Virat Kohli: How will the defending champions fare without their star player?

Why will Virat Kohli be looking to retire from the IPL?

Since he took over the world of cricket as the best batter of his generation, Kohli has won almost everything, barring the coveted IPL trophy. As confirmed by the right-hander himself, there were multiple opportunities for him to leave the Royal Challengers Bengaluru and ply his trade for another franchise. 

But the man with the most runs in the competition proved his loyalty to RCB time and again and played for the franchise for 18 years. He could have won the trophy much earlier than 2025 had he gone on to play for some of the more successful IPL teams. 

Having won the title in 2025, the 36-year-old could be looking for an out from the marquee T20 tournament. There is no doubt about the fact that Kohli has earned more money than he can possibly spend in this lifetime. 

Has most of the batting records to his name in the tournament

Virat Kohli is arguably the greatest batter the Indian Premier League has seen. The right-handed batter has scored the most runs in the tournament, alongside having other major batting records to his name. He also has the record for scoring the most hundreds in the IPL as well as the most half-centuries. 

Finally won the title in 2025

For 17 years, Virat Kohli was the greatest player in the history of the Indian Premier League to have never won the tournament. It almost appeared to be a travesty that one of the greatest players in the history of the sport could retire without winning the IPL trophy. However, his dream was achieved after 18 years in 2025 when the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, led by Rajat Patidar, won its maiden title by defeating Punjab Kings in the IPL 2025 final. 

Recent retirements in international cricket suggest a pattern developing

Kohli has already retired from T20Is and tests, and there is a pattern that suggests it is hard to predict what decision Kohli will take next. While many would have expected him to retire after winning the T20 World Cup, it was hard to fathom that he would announce while accepting his Player of the Match award. 

In test cricket, after Rohit Sharma’s retirement, there were expectations among the fans that the former Indian skipper would be the leader of the Indian batting unit. However, shockingly, Virat Kohli announced his retirement from the longest format of the game. 

Need to solely focus on ODIs with the World Cup 2027 in mind

Virat Kohli’s last mission in international cricket would be to win the 2027 ODI World Cup. He had won the prestigious tournament 16 years earlier, but was hardly a prominent player among some of the biggest Indian players at that time. In a squad featuring some of the biggest names in the history of cricket, Virat Kohli remained a rather unknown commodity. 

However, since then, in three editions of the quadrennial event, Kohli has been the face of the Indian batting unit. In 2019, he led India to the semi-finals before delivering a Player Of The Tournament-winning performance in 2023. 

Even having won the tournament in 2011, Kohli’s greatness in the format would lead him to believe that there is another shot at the trophy. Despite a few of the stars from the team ageing, there is no dearth in the quality of the Indian cricket team, and a World Cup trophy might not be a dream that is too far-fetched. Retiring from the Indian Premier League could free up Kohli’s schedule, and he can play ODI tournaments in England and have format-specific practice. 

Permanently shifted to London

It has been a huge, hotly debated topic since Virat Kohli moved to London. Many people from India who have nothing to do with Kohli or his family have opined that it is wrong for the former Indian skipper to be living in London. Not only is Virat arguably the most popular person in India, but he is also married to a famous Bollywood actress, Anushka Sharma. The power couple often finds it hard to freely roam around or step into any public space without a huge crowd of people gathering around them.

The unwanted flashes of cameras have prompted them to issue announcements on multiple occasions, asking people to stop filming them and their children. The negligence of Indian media houses and the over-affectionate nature of the public as a whole have resulted in Virat shifting to London. Living away from India allows Kohli not only a better environment to live in but also helps him live a normal life with his loved ones. 

RCB Stampede might have created negative memories

Royal Challengers Bengaluru winning the IPL Final in 2025 was supposed to be a joyous moment in the lives of every RCB fan who had waited for this title for a long time. But it turned catastrophic for the local fans as a stampede occurred the next time in order to take a glimpse of the title-winning team. 

The stampede resulted in the loss of multiple lives and left over 50 people injured. There were a few arrests made, with top officials of RCB and DNA Entertainment being held. The Central Administrative Tribunal held the franchise responsible for the stampede, following which the Karnataka Cabinet allowed the filing of criminal cases against RCB and KSCA. 

The defending champions could very well face a ban from the IPL temporarily if found guilty. This could lead to Kohli playing for another franchise in the 2026 edition. Virat has been the only player in the history of the tournament to have played for a single franchise in 18 years. Given his loyalty to the team, the right-handed batter might want to leave the centre stage rather than play for another franchise. While the monetary loss that BCCI has to bear while conducting an IPL without Kohli would be huge, the richest cricket board might not have any other option apart from banning RCB.

Has earned more money than he could spend

For many players from around the world, the Indian Premier League has become the primary source of their annual income. Even though Virat Kohli never actually came in the IPL auction, it is expected that he would have broken records for the most expensive player multiple times. 

Although Virat did not get the paddle going at the auction, he has not done too badly for himself. For many years, the 36-year-old had been a top retention for the Royal Challengers. He has amassed over ₹200 crores from the IPL. Even though living in London could be expensive, there is no dearth of funds in the Kohli household. 

RCB without Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli, over the years, has transitioned from a teenager to a world-beater while being with the defending champions. For his great performances, Kohli has been rewarded handsomely. However, the team itself has made loads of revenue thanks to the Indian batter. There is no doubt that it will be RCB who will bear the bigger brunt if Kohli decides to retire before IPL 2026. Apart from his cricketing abilities, the financial aspect will have a significant impact on the franchise.

Kohli wins more games than others

Virat Kohli has been the biggest match-winner in the world of cricket in the previous decade. The right-handed batter has multiple records to his name in international cricket. In the IPL, he holds almost every batting record there is. The 36-year-old has scored the most runs, along with the most fifties, and the most hundreds in the IPL. However, it is not these records that make him the best, but the number of matches that he single-handedly won for Royal Challengers Bengaluru. 

Playing at the Chinnaswamy Stadium all these years has helped Kohli the batter rake up runs with ease. But barring AB de Villiers and a few other players here and there, no batter has been able to consistently churn out the runs for them year in, year out. 

Even in 2025, playing his 18th season, Kohli was the best batter for his team and was one of the best players in the tournament. He scored 657 runs at his consistent best while maintaining an average of more than 50. All this while striking at a rate of 144.71. Thanks to other batters in RCB going at the sixth gear, Kohli could play his natural game while taking minimal risks and keep the scoreboard ticking. 

The biggest crowd puller

Apart from MS Dhoni, who has taken a sea of yellow in every stadium he has played in the last three seasons, Kohli is the biggest crowd puller. Even in the Wankhede Stadium during IPL 2025, there were chants of ‘RCB… RCB…’ when they played the Mumbai Indians. The Royal Challengers Bengaluru can generate a sizeable portion of their revenue just from ticket sales during home matches. 

Monetary loss without Kohli

Apart from the ticket sales, it is the jersey with his name that has undoubtedly the most sales on the RCB website. With Kohli gone, that number could go drastically down. Even though they might be able to fill stadiums without the presence of their former skipper, the average ticket price could decrease. 

Similarly, the biggest brands could pull out from sponsoring the IPL team without Kohli. There is no doubt about the fact that it is Virat Kohli who attracts the biggest brands to the franchise. No amount of titles might be able to replicate the kind of popularity that the name of Kohli generates for them. 

Criteria for the possible replacements

It will be a tough task to fill a Virat Kohli-sized hole in the field with his aggression, let alone in the batting unit. The right-handed batter has been the most consistent in the history of the Indian Premier League. At the top of the order, there are a lot of Indian batters who have made a name for themselves, but they are already settled with an IPL team. 

It will be pretty impossible for the RCB to get an absolute like-for-like replacement for Kohli. The scouting team for the first-time champions will have their tasks cut out if they are to find someone outside the current squad of players. 

Consistent run-scoring

Virat Kohli has been the most consistent run-scorer in the last three seasons. He won the Orange Cap in 2024 and was among the top five run-getters in 2023 and 2025. Since 2015, Kohli has scored at least 400 runs in each season, barring 2017 and 2022. No other batter has come close to showcasing this level of excellence in consistently scoring heaps of runs. 

Ability to build on starts

As an opener, Kohli might not be as ferocious as some of the other openers in the league, but he rarely throws away his starts. The opening batter is one of the best batters to play during the middle overs after the power play and before the death overs. When the fielders are pushed back to the boundary, Kohli can easily churn out singles and doubles by pushing the ball along the ground. While his shots might not look as aggressive as some of the other batters, he can take the game away from the opposition in the space of a few overs. His replacement in the team would need to do the same job, given that the rest of the RCB players rely heavily on high-risk, high-reward shots. 

Gets chases done

If run chases in white-ball cricket were an art, then Virat Kohli might as well be Picasso. No other batter in the history of the game has decoded chases like Kohli has. His mind almost works like a calculator while being in the middle of a run-chase. In international cricket, he has won the Indian team some crucial games in the last decade. In the IPL, his dot percentage while batting in the second innings is less than 35%. 

None of the other batters in the league have batted in as many chases while maintaining a dot percentage as low as his. While other players can employ a higher strike rate, there is a chance that they leave the game for other batters to finish. 

Ability to lead the team

Apart from his batting, Kohli would lead the team in the field as well, even when he is not the captain. The 36-year-old would often lead the team talk when stepping on the field. He was highly energetic and was like a live-wire on the field, letting nothing go past him. In 2024, there were moments where his run-outs would often change the direction of the game. 

Currently in the RCB lineup, Rajat Patidar, in spite of being the skipper, might not be looked at as a leader. For players to lead their team, it is necessary that they are performing at a great level. With Kohli, there was hardly a question of going out of form, especially in the last three years. Patidar, despite leading RCB to their first IPL trophy, had a mixed season with the bat in hand and was injured as well. When your own form is on a downward trajectory, it becomes tough to expect the other batters to step up.

Virat Kohli replacements

Replacing Virat Kohli will be a task for the franchise; however, they might need to do it sooner rather than later. The Indian batter takes up ₹21 crores of the team’s budget. By releasing him, RCB can go two ways; they can either splurge a similar amount on a single player, or they can buy a couple of players and groom them for the future. 

Devdutt Padikkal

Devdutt Padikkal is the only option in the Royal Challengers Bengaluru team who can replace Virat Kohli at the top of the order. The left-handed batter had a decent season in 2025 before an injury meant he was ruled out after playing 10 games. What makes him a candidate for replacing Kohli is that he can play at a similar strike rate to Kohli and can build an innings. The one place where he falls drastically short of the Indian batter is that he does not have the same skills to master a chase. However, that is a skill set that he can still have with him, being only 25 years of age. 

Padikkal also provides the left-handed option at the top of the order, which can be frustrating for the opposition bowlers when paired up with Phil Salt. Like Kohli, Padikkal was also criticised for his low strike rate; however, he improved his hard-hitting abilities and maintained a strike rate of 150 during the 2025 season. Given the direction of where the game is moving, if the Karnataka-born can keep up a similar strike rate, then he can somewhat fill the shoes of Virat Kohli.

Cameron Green

Cameron Green was ruled out of the IPL 2025 season after suffering an injury to his lower spine. The Australian all-rounder had to go through surgery, which meant that he was out of action for more than six months and came back to the action for the first time in the WTC Final 2025. He is expected to be the most expensive pick in the IPL 2026 auction. Green was part of the RCB setup in 2024. He picked up 10 wickets in 13 games while scoring 255 runs at a strike rate of 143. 

It is no surprise that Green would be a front-runner for replacing Kohli at RCB. With him on the side, the 2025 champions have a player who can hold his own against extreme pace. Additionally, with his batting abilities, Green can also bowl some handy overs when needed. With the impact player rule, the necessity of having an all-rounder has decreased by multiple folds. However, there are multiple reports that suggest that the impact player rule could be scrapped sooner rather than later. If that is indeed the case, the 26-year-old can prove to be a very crucial player for the team in years to come.

Mitchell Owen

23-year-old Mitchell Owen impressed many with his performance in the Big Bash League 2024/25. The right-handed batter scored 452 runs in only 11 games while striking at a rate of more than 200. However, it was his century in the final that won the Hobart Hurricanes its first BBL title. Thanks to his ultra-aggressive approach, he fits into the mould of a modern-day T20 batter. 

Partnering up with Phil Salt, Owen could inflict a lot of damage on the opposition bowling lineup. The right-handed batter, like Salt, is a hard-hitting batter by nature. Like Cameron Green, Owen can chip in with some overs as well with the ball if a need arises. While he is a regular wicket-taker, the 23-year-old tends to be a bit expensive with his right-arm medium-pace bowling. 

Venkatesh Iyer

Venkatesh Iyer became one of the most expensive players in the IPL when he was bought for ₹23.75 crores by Kolkata Knight Riders. Royal Challengers Bengaluru showed immense interest in buying Iyer during the IPL 2025 auction. Meanwhile, the 30-year-old had an atrocious season, scoring only 142 runs in 11 games. In the last three seasons, he has not contributed with the ball in hand, as well as having bowled only a single over in the three years. 

In spite of being the vice captain for the 2025 season, there were reports that Venkatesh was dropped from the team due to his poor performance. Meanwhile, KKR iterated that he was dropped due to an injury. 

In the RCB lineup, they can use a left-handed batting option in the top order. Barring Devdutt Padikkal and Krunal Pandya to some extent, RCB does not have a left-handed batting option. What makes Venkatesh highly sought after among the IPL teams is that he has an impeccable record in the IPL playoffs. 

A local player

Thanks to the advent of state T20 leagues, there are a few players from every state who look like they can make it to the IPL. In IPL 2025, a few players played for teams having not played a single game for their domestic team. Given the passion the fans in Karnataka carry, it will be easier for them to back and cheer for a local player. 

By buying a local player at the auction after some smart scouting, they can get a player for a very low amount. This can allow the RCB franchise to have enough money left to buy other players as well. 

Even though buying a local player and throwing them in the deep end might not be an instant solution, it can still help in the development of the player in the years to come.