Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], March 21 (ANI): Finally, after a wait of 18 years, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will be starting their Indian Premier League (IPL) campaign with a star on their shirt, having ended their title drought the previous season with a narrow win over Punjab Kings (PBKS).

RCB will be heading for the 2026 edition of the IPL with perhaps one of their finest, well-put squads ever, featuring a healthy mix of fearless, no-holds-barred youth and experience that brings caution and stability in case things go south. With an IPL title finally to their name, the players would not experience the same tightness in their chests, the desperation in their hearts and the heaviness on their shoulders. No amount of social media trolling and memes would overwhelm the players in the slightest, as the focus will be on turning the Chinnaswamy Stadium into an unbreachable fortress and continuing the trend of away-from-home dominance from last season.

Here are some strengths RCB should be proud of and the weaknesses they must address as they are just a week away from the campaign opener against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on March 28.

Strengths:

-Monkey's off the back for Virat Kohli: The franchise's most loyal player, who turned up in Red and Gold colours for 17 successive seasons before finally winning the prize in his 18th season, will be breathing a massive sigh of relief, while his bat will be waiting to unleash the fire that was perhaps not shown in past seasons where the weight of not winning the trophy was too much.

After experiencing mostly transient joy and endless heartbreak, frustration and chaos for 17 seasons, Virat will undoubtedly be feeling lighter and happier than ever in an RCB jersey. The six-hitting and elegant drives from the nets sessions so far, the pep-talk to his teammates that 'it is only going to get tougher' is proof that 'King Kohli' aims to protect the prize for which he and his teammates shed plenty of sweat, tears and blood for 17 seasons.

Having scored 600-plus runs in each of his last three seasons, Virat the T20 batter is ageing like fine wine and keeping up with the modern game. An ODI-exclusive player for India, aiming to keep his 2027 ICC Cricket World Cup dream alive, it would not be a surprise if Virat's bat continues to script more records and history.

-Rise of Jacob Bethell: The 22-year-old English all-rounder could be drafted into the playing XI and play a more prominent role after a sensational T20 World Cup, where he top-scored in England's semifinal run with 280 runs in eight innings, including a 48-ball 105 against India in the semifinal and a fifty. The 'Starboy' of English cricket has delivered the first signs of his big-match calibre, which could help RCB immensely in their title defence.

-Plenty of all-round choices: Coming to all-rounders, RCB is spoilt for choices, with Bethell, Krunal Pandya, Vicky Otswal, Swapnil Singh, Kanishk Chauhan and Vihaan Malhotra (spin bowling all-rounders), Romario Shepherd, Venkatesh Iyer and left-armer Mangesh Yadav (pace-bowling all-rounders) offering RCB plenty of choices and almost endless depth. These players bring it all, some bringing international experience, some bringing heavy domestic cricket experience and some the youthful energy after the U19 World Cup win.

-A promising Indian core: For years, RCB struggled to put together a strong Indian core of players as, except for Virat, not a lot of players put their hands up for big occasions. But with Virat, skipper Rajat Patidar, Devdutt Padikkal, Venkatesh Iyer, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Krunal Pandya and Suyash Sharma, RCB has a great set of players which can form the core group of Indian players, with names like Kanishk and Vihaan being long-term investments.

-Devdutt Padikkal's form: RCB's designated number three is coming into the tournament after a memorable domestic season for Karnataka, scoring 543 runs in six matches and 10 innings at an average of 60.33, including two centuries and a fifty in his side's runners-up finish in Ranji Trophy, which included a marathon 330-ball 232 against Uttarakhand in the semifinal.

He was at his absolute lethal in the Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT), the premier state 50-over competition, emerging as the second-highest run-getter with 725 runs in nine innings at an average of 90.62, including four centuries and two fifties. The left-hander's brilliant strokeplay and consistency were crucial in the team's semifinal run.

In six Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) matches, a T20 tournament, Padikkal slammed 309 runs in six innings at an average of 61.80 and a strike rate of 167.02, with a century and two fifties. But his team failed to reach the knockout stages.

Weaknesses:

-Availability of Josh Hazlewood: Josh Hazlewood, the star Australian pacer, could miss the early stages of the IPL after missing out on the Ashes series and the T20 World Cup in its entirety. With 22 wickets in 12 matches at an average of 17.54 last season, Hazlewood was integral to their success, and his availability remains a big concern.

-Phil Salt's poor form: RCB's first-choice opener Phil Salt, who played such a crucial role in RCB's success last year with 403 runs in 13 innings at an SR of almost 176 with four fifties, had a poor T20 World Cup with just 130 runs in eight innings at an average of 16.25, with a strike rate of 158.53 and just one fifty. RCB could have to make a choice to either slot in Bethell or the wicketkeeper-batter Jordan Cox with Virat for the opening.

-Skipper Patidar's lean domestic run: Patidar also looks rusty heading into the IPL. In Ranji, he scored 266 runs in seven innings, with a large portion of it being a 205-run knock against Punjab last year. With 113 runs in seven innings at an average of 16.14 and a strike rate of 136.14 in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (T20) and 67 runs in two innings of the Vijay Hazare Trophy (VHT), one of Indian domestic cricket's most elegant batters has been painfully quiet. It would be important for the skipper to step up when it matters the most and lead from the front with a healthy volume of runs.

-Jacob Duffy's poor run: When the hammer struck, and New Zealand pacer Jacob Duffy was announced as an RCB player at Rs two crores, it was termed as a 'steal buy' as he ended the year with 81 international scalps, the highest in a calendar year by a New Zealander and the highest in 2025. But this year has seen him take just nine scalps in 10 matches at an average of 39.11 and an economy rate of 10.77. His T20WC figures were: three wickets in five innings at an average of 54.33.

These figures make for painful reading, and if Duffy plays as a replacement for Hazlewood in case the Aussie pacer is ruled out, he will have very little time to get his bowling back on track. And undoubtedly, Duffy would not like being the pace spearhead who leaks runs.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru full squad for IPL 2026: Abhinandan Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Devdutt Padikkal, Jacob Bethell, Jitesh Sharma, Josh Hazlewood, Krunal Pandya, Nuwan Thushara, Phil Salt, Rajat Patidar, Rasikh Dar, Romario Shepherd, Suyash Sharma, Swapnil Singh, Tim David, Virat Kohli, Yash Dayal, Vihaan Malhotra (Rs 30 lakh), Jordan Cox (Rs 75 lakh), Venkatesh Iyer (Rs 7 Cr), Satvik Deswal (Rs 30 lakh), Mangesh Yadav (Rs 5.20 Cr), Vicky Ostwal (Rs 30 lakh), Kanishk Chouhan (Rs 30 lakh), Jacob Duffy (Rs 2 Cr). (ANI)