3 Players Who Will Never Play For RCB Again After IPL 2026

Royal Challengers Bengaluru had not won any IPL title for 17 years. However, they turned the tables by winning the trophy in the next two seasons. While the IPL 2025 win was more of a relief and full of emotions, the victory in 2026 was a total domination as their star batter Virat Kohli hit the winning runs.

A no. of players have played key roles for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in this historic win. They have build a solid core of players who can win more titles for the team in the next few years. However, some of them are reaching towards the end of their respective careers and might not play for RCB again. Let's have a look at some of the RCB players not playing after IPL 2026.

3 Players Who Will Never Play For RCB Again

1. Jitesh Sharma - RCB wicketkeeper Jitesh Sharma was a part of the team's title wins in 2025 and 2026. The wicketkeeper-batter had a productive season last year when he scored 261 runs at an average of 37.28 and a strike rate of 176.35. This also included a brilliant 85 off just 33 balls against Lucknow Super Giants in the high-pressure Qualifier 1 match.

However, he failed to impress with the bat in IPL 2026. Jitesh, one of the best wicketkeepers in IPL, scored only 116 runs at an average of 13 this year. His low returns even led to speculations of him being dropped midway through the season. RCB persisted with their vice-captain and eventually went on to win the title. But Jitesh's poor form will be a worry for the franchise and he might be one of the RCB released players 2026.

2. Bhuvneshwar Kumar - Many RCB fans might not like it, but Bhuvneshwar Kumar might not play for the franchise anymore. He is 36 years old currently and is at the final stages of his career. Although he was at his best this season, his return for the next season is not confirmed. RCB will hope for their talismanic bowler to be back for IPL 2027 but he will have to keep working on his fitness.

In 2026, Bhuvneshwar remained a contender for IPL Purple Cap but just missed it in the end. He picked up 28 wickets in 16 matches at an economy rate of less than 8. Bhuvneshwar is second on the list of most wickets in IPL and RCB will be looking to use his experience in order to defend their title next year.

3. Romario Shepherd - West Indies all-rounder Romario Shepherd is known as one of the most dangerous batsmen in the world. However, he had a quiet season with just 83 runs and 7 wickets to his name. He was also dropped midway as RCB went with a different combination.

Looking at his returns, Romario Shepherd might be a part of RCB team changes 2027 and might not play for the franchise. With Tim David performing well with the bat, the Royal Challengers will be looking to add more firepower to their line-up.