Bengal’s Karan Lal shines brightest at RCB trials; LSG also express interest ahead of IPL 2026 auction [Exclusive]

After impressing the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) camp, Bengal all-rounder Karan Lal outshone some renowned names at a trial conducted by the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) this week. Preparations are afoot for all 10 franchises ahead of the IPL 2026 auction to be held in Abu Dhabi on December 16.

Sportskeeda has reliably learnt that the defending champions held a two-day camp for about 15 players at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on December 9 and 10. They underwent match simulations in open nets on Tuesday and played a practice match on the second day. It was organised right after the group stage of the ongoing Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

Some of the established names present were Suyash Sharma, Rahul Tripathi, Navdeep Saini, Rohan S Kunnummal. Upcoming pace sensation Ashok Sharma, 2025 Delhi Premier League’s highest wicket-taker Money Grewal, former Chennai Super Kings (CSK) leg-spinner Prashant Solanki were also called up.

T20 records of some batters at the RCB trial:

Batter	Age	Innings	Runs	Average	Strike rate	Best	4s	6s
Karan Lal	25	28	676	27.04	158.68	113	61	40
Rahul Tripathi	34	168	3807	25.89	134.47	93	366	141
Rohan Kunnummal	27	40	1262	36.05	134.82	121*	137	46
Ravi Singh	24	9	295	42.14	174.55	68*	24	22

The 25-year-old Karan Lal was impressive from the moment he and Kunnummal were asked to score 16 runs in an over. The Bengal opener hit two sixes off the first two balls he faced from leggie Suyash Sharma as the duo completed the challenge with aplomb. The right-hander scored 21 off eight balls and hit six sixes in total across the match simulations.

He saved his best for the last day, so much so that RCB batting coach and mentor Dinesh Karthik was singing his praises by the end of it. Opening with Kerala’s Kunnummal, Karan Lal blasted 54 off 17 deliveries in the practice game. He hit a six off the very first ball of the match from Abhinandan Singh, a seamer retained by RCB. He then smashed India pacer Navdeep Saini for three sixes in an over – over square leg, point, and third man.

“Very impressive. You are ready for this level,” were the words of a gushing DK.

Karan Lal hit a stroke-filled 52 off 23 balls from No. 4 at the KKR camp and also dismissed Rahul Tripathi and Yash Dhull with his off-spin.

Rohan Kunnummal also completed a half-century, but the RCB thinktank was more impressed with southpaw Ravi Singh. The keeper-batter represents Railways and also plays club cricket in Kolkata. Meanwhile, Ashok Sharma, who can crank it up to 150 kph, got injured after just five deliveries.

The IPL 2025 winners are seeking top-order back-ups after releasing discarded Indian opener Mayank Agarwal and New Zealand wicketkeeper-batter Tim Seifert.

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LSG come knocking on Karan Lal’s door

Karan Lal has picked up 15 wickets across two seasons of the Bengal Pro T20 League

Multiple sources confirmed to Sportskeeda that the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) are also interested in signing Karan Lal. Rishabh Pant’s boys tried out three different opening combinations last season, but they lack good Indian openers. Karan would offer versatility across the batting order along with his bowling.

The LSG management first reached out to Shahbaz Ahamad to know about his Bengal teammate. And the left-arm spinning all-rounder had only positive things to say about Karan. Later, an LSG scout took a second opinion from a former IPL player from Bengal.

Karan Lal’s consistent run as an opener and a newfound six-hitting ability have thrust him into the limelight, making him a hot property heading into the IPL 2026 mini-auction. His strike rate of 195.53 is behind only Abhishek Sharma among batters who have faced more than 100 balls in the 2025-26 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy Elite. He smashed 17 sixes in the group stage and finished as the highest run-getter for Bengal. He was also the leading scorer and hit the most sixes in the Bengal Pro T20 League 2025.