RCB will kick off IPL 2026 against SRH on March 28.
After finally ending their 18-year-long trophy drought, the reigning champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) had mostly retained their championship-winning core before heading into the IPL 2026 mini auction. Lungi Ngidi was one of the star names in the RCB released players list, finalising their need for an overseas backup option for Josh Hazlewood.
A bunch of overseas pacers were up for grabs in the IPL 2026 mini auction, and the titleholders had to engage in a detailed conversation to decide which player the side would bid for. The team’s batting coach and mentor, Dinesh Karthik, placed his faith in the New Zealand seamer early on in the discussion.
“I would be very happy having Duffy and [Nuwan] Thushara. I think that are two good backups to have, we can play who we want. RCB is a different team without Hazlewood, let me make that very clear,” he had said in a pre-auction video shared by the RCB.
While sorting out their list for the auction, RCB’s Director of Cricket, Mo Bobat, sidelined the former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) bowler Matheesha Pathirana, as he emphasised bringing in versatility. He also noted how his fellow Sri Lanka teammate, Thushara, had stepped up to cover for Hazlewood’s absence in his solitary appearance in last year’s final league-stage match against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).
“One person who we are not interested in, even though we would rank him highly, is Pathirana. The reason we are not interested in him is we feel like we have already got in our squad a similar type of bowler in Nuwan. In the last year, Nuwan is outbowling him,” Bobat had added.
“We would rather have someone with a different X-factor or attribute. If Hazlewood was not available, we’ve got a choice rather than choosing between two in the same thing,” he opined.
Thushara had scalped a wicket and conceded only 26 runs in his four overs. On the other hand, Pathirana snared 13 scalps in 12 fixtures for the Chennai outfit at an expensive economy of 10.13. The three-time winners, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), have roped him in for a massive INR 18 crore at the previous auction.
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The title-winning skipper Rajat Patidar also agreed with their plan to include the Black Caps bowler in the RCB IPL 2026 squad. Former Zimbabwe captain and the current head coach of the side, Andy Flower, also weighed in on the strategical aspects of roping in the 31-year-old.
“He can go both ways, and quite tall, he has got a high delivery point. Duffy is significantly better than the others, because he looks like an attacking new ball bowler to me. When I say new ball, I’m talking about anywhere in the powerplay. He’s got pace, he’s got bounce, and he moves the ball sideways. His figures suggests that he is an attacking new ball bowler,” observed Flower.
Eventually, the franchise secured the player for his base price of INR 2 crore. With their prime pacer Hazlewood yet to recover from the injury setbacks, Jacob Duffy could prove to be a key signing as they look to defend their title in the IPL 2026.
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