Former South African captain AB de Villiers believes Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) done an excellent job in the IPL 2026 mini-auction by signing star all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer for INR 7 crore. The Madhya Pradesh cricketer was dismissed by the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) prior to the auction after failing to meet his INR 23.75 crore price tag in IPL 2025. AB de Villiers alleged that RCB purchased his services at a discount.
The 41-year-old also lauded other signings made by RCB think tank – Jordan Cox, Mangesh Yadav and Jacob Duffy. But the former cricketer feels that RCB missed a trick by not picking a leggie in their playing XI.
“There was no panic at the auction and no surprise with it. They are the defending champions, and there’s reason for that, and you don’t want to change the winning recipe. Jordan Cox is a good signing. Bit of a backup. I don’t know how much he will play but a very talented youngster. Venki Iyer is the big signing. They got him at a very big discount,” he said on his YouTube channel.
“The main one I want to talk about is Mangesh Yadav. Backup for Yash Dayal, maybe he will be more than a backup. Also Jacob Duffy was a nice backup for Hazlewood. It is a championship winning squad. Maybe a little bit lacking in the X factor spin department. Would have been nice to see another wrist-spinner. But I feel RCB have a chance to defend the title.”
AB de Villiers
RCB clinched their maiden title last season when they beat Punjab Kings (PBKS) in a nail-biting final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Coming back to Venkatesh’s signing, it would be interesting to see what his 30-year-old self brings to the table in the upcoming season. He then became the opening batsmen for Kolkata Knight Riders. But, in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025, he came out to bat at five and six followed by three opening partnerships in Madhya Pradesh’s last three matches of the season.
