Former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batter Mohammad Kaif outlined the IPL 2026 auction plan for the defending champions. RCB beat Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the final of the 2025 season to lift their maiden trophy. Ad Kaif reckoned that they could buy back England all-rounder Liam Livingstone. Livingstone was acquired by them for ₹8. 75 crore last season. However, he managed just 112 runs in eight innings, averaging 16 with a strike-rate of 133. 33. Therefore, he was released ahead of the upcoming auction. The former batter stated that they could buy him back for a lower price. Should RCB lose out on their home ground, the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, in Bengaluru, and have to play in Pune next year, as per reports, Kaif reflected that Livingstone could play the role of a third spinner alongside Krunal Pandya and Suyash Sharma. Ad Trending “I think they can buy back Liam Livingstone as well. I think the reason to leave him would be to have some money because half of their remaining purse was on him. So at least they can run behind a player or two. He can be your third spinner if they play in Pune. They do have four fixed foreigners in the starting 11 but if they get him for a lesser price, they can keep him in the squad. If they need a third spinner, Romario Shepherd can sit and he can play as a third spinner,” he said on his YouTube channel. Ad Further, he reckoned that they could get a backup Indian fast bowler in the form of Akash Madhwal. He played just four games for the Rajasthan Royals (RR) last season and was released. “I think RCB should go behind Madhwal. He was not used well last season. He played very few games. If he is fully fit, then they should go for him. If they get a dry pitch, then he can bring the ball back in, which is his strength.” Ad Notably, Madhwal was a net bowler for RCB in 2021 before making his IPL debut with the Mumbai Indians (MI) in 2023. Mohammad Kaif names Ravi Bishnoi among others RCB could target at the IPL 2026 auction Mohammad Kaif also suggested that RCB could look to go after Ravi Bishnoi for an extra spinner. He stated that Karn Sharma could also be an option they could look at. The former batter also added that the defending champions could eye David Miller as a backup overseas finisher. Ad “They can go for Bishnoi also. Maybe he will go for a lesser price than last time. If Miller comes in their range then okay. But he will still sit out even if they buy him. Tim David is ahead now and he will play first. Miller can be as a backup then. It is important to have a full squad in a long tournament. Smart teams take backup planning also seriously. Karn Sharma can also be an option,” he said. Ad Notably, Bishnoi has been inconsistent in the last two IPL seasons with the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG). Kaif revealed having met the young spinner and suggesting him to work on variations rather than only relying on googlies. “I have met Bishnoi. I had told him once that he needs to learn leg-spin. He bowls all googlies. It is okay when people have not seen you initially. So you did well two years. But you cannot depend on googly alone. You need to learn leg-spin, flipper, otherwise you will get hit. You need variations. His confidence is also a bit down. Lucknow was a ground where he should have actually done well.” Last season, he bagged just nine wickets from 11 games at a disappointing average of 44. 55 and an economy of 10. 83. In 2024, he picked up 10 wickets in 14 matches at an average of 38. 30 and an economy of 8. 77. × Feedback Why did you not like this content? Clickbait / Misleading Factually Incorrect Hateful or Abusive Baseless Opinion Too Many Ads Other Was this article helpful? Thank You for feedback Get real-time updates on IPL 2025, live scores, IPL Prediction, match schedule, points table, Result & squad -CSK, MI, RCB, KKR, SRH, LSG, DC, GT, PBKS Edited by Rishab Vm.
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“They can buy back Liam Livingstone” – Former RCB batter outlines plans for defending champions ahead of IPL 2026 auction
