"RCB might look for an Indian finisher" - Mohammad Kaif dissects defending champions' strategy for IPL 2026 auction

Former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batter Mohammad Kaif has outlined the defending champions' strategy ahead of IPL 2026 auction. With the auction for the 19th season less than a month away, Kaif believes an Indian finisher might be their target.

The Royal Challengers have retained 17 players from the squad that lifted the coveted trophy for the first time earlier this year. Bengaluru defeated the Punjab Kings by six runs in the final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad to win the tournament.

When asked which players the defending champions will target in the auction, the 44-year-old said someone like Mahipal Lomror might be on their radar. He hailed the franchise for creating a culture where players have thrived after coming from a different team. In a video on his YouTube channel ' Mohammad Kaif,' he said:

"They will go foreign bowlers but Indian bowlers will also be enough. They might also look for an Indian finisher, someone like Mahipal Lomror. But RCB have created a culture where any player can shine. Devdutt Padikkal, for instance, he was hardly able to lay bat on ball while playing for a different franchise. But RCB’s atmosphere was such that he grabbed the chance with both hands."

"Tim David did well too, so did Romario Shepherd. Shepherd made runs and took wickets in the final too. RCB had good players previously too. But their culture is now different and Patidar has made the difference with his presence as captain. Also, the coaching staff underwent changes too," he added.

Kaif also observed that the bowlers are getting the much-deserved recognition that didn't happen earlier in the franchise.

"So, bowlers are getting the much-deserved backing as much as the batters did. Previously, batters used to dominate but bowlers have been given equal importance. The result was there to be seen in IPL 2025. Regardless of which player comes to RCB, he will do well. No player is bad in IPL, the environment makes them bad. What happens in franchise cricket is teams panic after 1-2 losses," Kaid said.

Josh Hazlewood's bowling across phases was a massive factor in the franchise's successful 2025 campaign. The right-arm seamer was the third-highest wicket-taker of the tournament and RCB's highest, claiming 22 scalps in 12 games at 17.54.

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"Patidar had decided that bowlers win you tournaments" - Mohammad Kaif hails RCB skipper's mindset

Rajat Patidar lifted the trophy in his first IPL as captain. (Credits: Getty)

Reflecting on the Royal Challengers' IPL 2025 campaign, Kaif said Rajat Patidar's experience of playing several local matches was a decisive factor in his captaincy. In the same video, he explained:

"RCB was a big team but had never won the IPL an, Rajat Patidar became captain under these circumstances. Patidar had decided that bowlers win you tournaments. Patidar does captain Madhya Pradesh’s team. The culture of MP is they play plenty of local matches and it’s been there for a long time. When you play so much, you get an idea that you need to have at least seven good batters and five bowlers. You can hit 200-250 runs but it’s of no use if the opposition chases them down."

The former Royal Challengers star also hailed Patidar for how well he used the likes of Krunal Pandya and Suyash Sharma, and did not assert his authority over the senior players. Kaif continued:

"The way he used Krunal Pandya and Suyash Sharma – he didn’t hold back and bowled them. He had Josh Hazlewood, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Yash Dayal but spinners faced a challenge. Spinners are not that effective in Bengaluru. But Patidar’s captaincy was excellent. He was calm and hardly cared about the toss. The toss hardly affected RCB’s result."

"RCB didn’t depend on toss. He also respected Virat Kohli equally. He didn’t make it look like ‘I’m the captain, so I will dominate the team’. He was seen speaking to Kohli and a handful of senior players at times. He slowed down the game on several occasions and took advice of the senior players before moving forward," he concluded.

The Royal Challengers have a purse amount of ₹16.40 crore heading into the auction, which will take place in Abu Dhabi on December 16.