Former South African captain AB de Villiers believes that Royal Challengers Bengaluru RCB did a great job in the IPL 2026 mini-auction, roping in star all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer for INR 7 crore. The Madhya Pradesh cricketer was released by the Kolkata Knight Riders KKR ahead of the auction after failing to live up to his price tag of INR 23.75 crore in IPL 2025. De Villiers stated that RCB acquired his services at a discounted price.
The 41-year-old also praised the RCB think tank for some of their other signings, including Jordan Cox, Mangesh Yadav, and Jacob Duffy. However, the cricketer-turned-expert feels that RCB missed a trick by not roping in a leg-spinner to their setup.
RCB ended their title drought last season after defeating Punjab Kings PBKS in a pulsating final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
