Siraj OUT…! Virat Kohli picks RCB Playing 11 Ahead Of IPL 2026

The Indian Premier League (IPL) is just around the corner and the buzz has already started. A few of the teams have started their training camps ahead of the tournament. Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will play the opening game on March 28 against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru.

Ahead of the tournament, star batter and RCB's former captain Virat Kohli picked his all-time playing XI, which includes some of the all-time greats. Kohli himself is a GOAT of cricket and his RCB playing 11 looks ever-so strong on paper.

Virat Kohli Picks All Time Playing 11 of RCB

RCB's former skipper Virat Kohli has been with the team since inception. Hence, he has shared the dressing room with some of the best T20 batsmen like Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers, and others. In RCB's video, Kohli reveals his all-time playing XI before their first match. His fondness of batting alongside Chris Gayle was evident as he chose him as an opener along with De Villiers at No. 3.

Kohli also picked KL Rahul, who had an excellent season earlier in the middle order, at No. 4. Royal Challengers' IPL-winning captain Rajat Patidar is at No. 5 while Dinesh Karthik has been picked as the wicketkeeper and for the finisher's role.

“Okay, I would say Gayle and myself to open. AB at three. Okay, let me get the four overseas out of the way," said Kohli.

"AB, Chris, Mitchell Starc, because he played for us… I think Dale, because I would like the bowling to be even stronger in that eleven. So yeah, you got two seamers. You got Chris, myself and AB. At four, I would have KL. He had an amazing season, I think, batting at four for us. Five, I would say… give five to Rajat, maybe, because he plays spin amazingly well and he’s one of the best Indian talents that we’ve had. Six would be Dinesh, for sure," he added.

Lethal Bowling Line-up

The bowling line-up in Virat Kohli all time RCB playing 11 looks strong with Mitchell Starc and Dale Steyn leading the way. Both of them are among the best bowlers in the world and can be lethal at any stage of the game. Interestingly, there was no mention of Mohammed Siraj, who was a key member of RCB for a long time.

The side also has two leg-spinners, Anil Kumble and Yuzvendra Chahal. Under Kumble, RCB made it to the semi-finals of the second season of IPL. Meanwhile, Chahal performed brilliantly for years while playing for this team bowling at a batting-friendly venue like M Chinnaswamy stadium. Amongst all these players, Kohli and Patidar are the only players who will be in the RCB Playing 11 IPL 2026.

Virat Kohli RCB Playing 11

Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, KL Rahul, Rajat Patidar, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Harshal Patel, Anil Kumble, Mitchell Starc, Dale Steyn, Yuzvendra Chahal