The defending champions, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), are going into the IPL 2026 auction with a clear objective: to fix their shaky fast bowling attack ahead of next season.
Royal Challengers Bangalore’s main focus now is to land a top-quality fast bowler, and Mathiesha Pathirana could be their most exciting option to fix their bowling conundrum at the IPL 2026 auction in Abu Dhabi on December 26.
Royal Challengers Bangalore eye new strength after Josh Hazlewood’s latest setback
The franchise finds itself in a difficult situation as its key fast bowlers are battling injuries, uncertainty and legal troubles, forcing them to look for new strike options in the upcoming auction.
RCB suffered its first blow when their most reliable overseas bowler Josh Hazlewood was ruled out of the entire 2025-26 Ashes series against England.
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The Australian fast bowler is suffering from a hamstring injury while playing a Sheffield Shield match for New South Wales in November. That injury kept him out of the first two Ashes Tests. During his recovery, his Achilles tendon began to hurt.
Hazlewood will now spend all his time getting fit for the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 in February, which means RCB cannot fully rely on the Australian fast bowler in IPL 2026. Apart from the injured Hazlewood, Yash Dayal is also uncertain for the next edition of the IPL.
Dayal has not played any cricket since the IPL 2025 final. He is still working hard to return to match fitness and RCB are keeping a close eye on him as any injury or delay could disrupt their plans. But his fitness is not the only concern for the defending champions.
Yash Dayal’s future has become uncertain amid legal troubles.
In fact, Dayal’s career is currently in danger due to two police cases registered against him in 2025. He has not been convicted, and the investigation is ongoing, but his future remains uncertain given the sensitivity of the cases registered against the fast bowler.
First, a woman from Ghaziabad accused Dayal of emotionally and physically abusing her for five years under the false promise of marriage. In this case, Allahabad High Court has given him interim relief from arrest.
The second case was registered in Jaipur and it is more serious than the Ghaziabad case. Another woman accused the fast bowler of repeatedly attacking her for two years when she was 17 years old. She said that Dayal had promised to help her in her cricket career to woo her.
The case was registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO Act) as it involved a minor, and the Rajasthan High Court had refused to grant protection from arrest to the Indian cricketer. Despite this, Royal Challengers Bangalore retained Dayal ahead of the auction.
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With Hazlewood’s injury concerns and Dayal’s future uncertain, RCB are in urgent need of strong fast bowling options. They want both a foreign fast bowling star and a reliable Indian seamer. And that makes young Sri Lankan fast bowler Mathisha Pathirana a perfect fit.
RCB may try its best for Mathisha Pathirana
After injury problems and poor form last season, Pathirana was recently released by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) ahead of the IPL 2026 mini-auction. He played for CSK from 2022 to 2025 and was a key part of their 2023 title win. Pathirana’s unusual sling-arm action, fast yorkers and calm nature made him one of the best death over specialists in the league.
Pathirana has already set an impressive IPL record by taking 47 wickets in just 32 matches at an average of 21.62 and an economy rate of 8.68. He is expected to become one of the most chased bowlers in the mini-auction, and RCB are likely to go after him.
In fact, the Sri Lankan star checks every box the franchise needs right now – a proven death bowler, a wicket-taker under pressure, someone young and fearless, and a fast bowler who can instantly bolster their attack. With the auction approaching, RCB are likely to make every effort to secure Pathirana and rebuild their pace attack for IPL 2026.