Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan believes the defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru are likely to back the same playing combination with which they had played in the last season. Pathan said it would be interesting to note if RCB will give chances to Venkatesh Iyer, who was roped in for INR 7 crore in IPL 2026 mini auction.

The former swing bowler highlighted that Iyer’s inclusion should not put extra pressure on Devdutt Padikkal. The Karnataka batter had scored 247 runs in 10 matches of the previous edition at an average of 27.40 and a strike rate of 150.60.

Pathan picked Phil Salt, Romario Shepherd, Tim David, and Josh Hazlewood as his four foreign players for RCB in their playing XII.

“Phil Salt, Romario Shepherd, Tim David and Josh Hazlewood, these are my four overseas players. Pretty much the same batting lineup, those 12 if you are talking about from the last season,” the former India all-rounder said on Star Sports.

“I want to see how they get the left-hander in this playing 12. That will be Venkatesh Iyer because he will be actually coming in ready to go on this kind of pitch in Bengaluru. He wants to do well, but by doing that, they should not put too much pressure on Devdutt Padikkal,” he added.

Pathan acknowledged that RCB’s injury woes could be a concern but said the franchise has strong backups.

“What I really like about RCB is that there were only two or three guys before. Now the playing XI is ready. Yes, they have some major injury concerns going into the season, especially with Josh Hazlewood, as to how good he will come, but they still have good backups. That makes them even stronger,” Pathan observed.

The former swing praised Padikkal for his impressive form in the domestic circuit.

“He is scoring runs left, right, and center. He has actually had a really good season last year. He is scoring runs in domestic cricket as well. It looks like he has improved his game. There was a time when he was struggling,” he said.

Pathan said Padikkal has resolved his technical glitches ahead of IPL 2026.

“He was getting out lbw. He was actually blocking himself. Playing probably too early. Playing on the leg side too much as well, but that’s the talking point of the past. Now he is a different player. He is a very confident player as well,” Pathan observed.

RCB will begin their IPL defense against Sunrisers Hyderabad in Bengaluru on 28th March.