Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) went into the IPL 2026 auction with a very limited budget. So, they had to move smartly. The franchise retained most of their players from the last season. During the auction, they mostly invested in young players. 

Kanishk Chouhan was one of the emerging players who was picked by RCB from the IPL 2026 mini auction. The all-rounder is an integral part of the India Under-19 setup who has so far performed brilliantly in the ongoing Asia Cup U-19 tournament. After the auction, Indian cricket fans got more curious about the player. 

The 19-year-old was among the best performers during the India U-19 vs Pakistan U-19 match on December 14. With the bat, he scored 46 runs and took 3 important wickets to defend a total of 240. For this all-round performance, the Rajasthan-born got the man of the match award. 

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Watch some glimpses of Kanishk Chouhan's batting in Asia Cup U-19

RCB’s New Recruit Kanishk Chouhan in ongoing U19 Asia Cuppic.twitter.com/4YIeObWp9R

— Fearless🦁 (@ViratTheLegend) December 18, 2025

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) retained players and new players for the IPL 2026 season: For only INR 30 lakhs, the defending champion secured his sign. He is currently a second-year BA student at Shah Satnam Ji Boys College, Sirsa, and has been playing for the Shah Satnam Cricket Academy, Sirsa, for the past 10 years. His father, Pradeep Kumar, is a farmer, and his mother is a homemaker. He is the only son in his family. 

RCB full squad 

Retained players:

Rajat Patidar (c), Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Phil Salt, Jitesh Sharma, Krunal Pandya, Swapnil Singh, Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Jacob Bethell, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Nuwan Thushara, Rasikh Salam, Abhinandan Singh, and Suyash Sharma.

Players from the IPL 2026 auction:

Venkatesh Iyer (7 cr), Mangesh Yadav (5.2 cr), Jacob Duffy (2 cr), Satwik Deswal (30 L), Jordan Cox (75 L), Vihaan Malhotra (30 L), Kanishk Chouhan (30 L), Vicky Ostwal (30 L)