RCB target discussions ahead of the IPL 2026 auction have mostly revolved around predictable roles: a replacement for Liam Livingstone, a reliable backup for Josh Hazlewood, and one or two domestic batters to round out the squad.
But there’s a more important issue beneath the surface: RCB’s left-arm pace depth is suddenly uncertain, and that alone should push them toward a high-value domestic solution. With INR 16.40 crore in the purse and eight slots left, the franchise cannot afford luxury risks. RCB need targeted picks, especially from the Indian fast-bowling pool.
A lot of this reassessment stems from the Yash Dayal situation. Retained for the season despite not playing a single game since IPL 2025, Dayal remains unavailable due to ongoing legal proceedings. The High Court has stayed his arrest for now, but the proceeding itself has kept him away from cricket for months.
There is no clarity on his readiness, fitness, or timeline for a full return. RCB can hope for good news, but they cannot structure an entire season around something so unresolved, especially at a position as tactically important as left-arm seam.
Yash Dayal’s Uncertainty
This is where an India domestic pacer becomes a strong RCB target, someone who has been in terrific form throughout SMAT 2025-26, someone who brings pace, bounce, and a natural left-arm angle, and someone who has quietly turned into one of the tournament’s most reliable wicket-takers.
With 15 wickets in seven matches this season for Jharkhand, including three three-wicket hauls, he has been central to their unbeaten run. His only wicketless outing came on a tough surface, and even there he bowled with impressive control.
Most wickets in SMAT 2025-26
| Pos | Player | M | I | Wkts | Runs | BBI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A Sharma | 7 | 7 | 19 | 230 | 4 |
| 2 | Y R Thakur | 7 | 7 | 18 | 178 | 5 |
| 3 | Mohammed Shami | 7 | 7 | 16 | 239 | 4 |
| 4 | Asif K M | 6 | 6 | 15 | 138 | 5 |
| 5 | Mukhtar Hussain | 7 | 7 | 15 | 188 | 6 |
| 6 | Auqib Nabi | 7 | 7 | 15 | 199 | 4 |
| 7 | Raj Limbani | 7 | 7 | 15 | 216 | 3 |
| 8 | Anshul Kamboj | 7 | 7 | 15 | 217 | 4 |
| 9 | Sushant Mishra | 7 | 7 | 15 | 225 | 3 |
| 10 | Anukul Roy | 7 | 7 | 14 | 154 | 3 |
This bowler is Sushant Mishra, former India U19 player and a name IPL teams have rated highly before. He was part of Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2022 and later triggered a bidding contest between Gujarat Titans and Mumbai Indians in the 2024 auction, eventually going to GT for INR 2.2 crore.
An injury paused his progress, but what has followed is a clear, upward curve: added pace, better accuracy, and the confidence to operate across phases, from powerplay swing to hard-length middle overs.
Why Sushant Mishra Fits RCB Auction Strategy Perfectly
RCB target profiles this year need to be smart and role-specific rather than headline-driven. Their squad is stable, experienced overseas quicks, a settled batting core, and strong all-rounder coverage through Krunal Pandya and Romario Shepherd. What they lack is a domestic left-arm pacer who can walk in immediately if Yash Dayal remains unavailable or needs time to regain match sharpness.
Mishra fits that brief without straining the purse. He offers tactical variety, domestic reliability, and long-term upside at a price point that won’t interfere with RCB’s bigger decisions at the table. In a mini-auction where Indian fast bowlers are scarce and expensive, identifying one in form and still under the radar is exactly how a team gains strategic advantage.
So while the noise may stay around the big names, the quieter truth is this: with Yash Dayal’s situation uncertain, Sushant Mishra might be the RCB target that makes the most cricketing and financial sense for IPL 2026.
