Ahead of the IPL 2026 mini-auction, former cricketer Aakash Chopra made a funny comment about Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) releasing young batter Swastik Chikara. Known as one of Virat Kohli’s biggest fans in the RCB camp last season, Chikara’s presence in the team’s behind-the-scenes moments had become a talking point among fans. With RCB announcing their list of retained and released players, Chopra stated that Chikara will not be seen in Kohli’s photos now.

RCB enter IPL 2026 as the defending champions, having finally lifted their maiden IPL trophy in 2025 after a 17-year wait.

With a balanced lineup and most of their core performing well across the last season, the franchise has opted to stick to their match-winners. They retained 17 players, including Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Devdutt Padikkal, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal, and Tim David. Head coach Andy Flower stated that the team did not feel the need for major changes and was comfortable retaining a strong core.

However, among the seven players released, the most talked-about name was Chikara, especially because of his off-field presence during the 2025 season. The youngster was picked by RCB for INR 30 lakh in IPL 2025 but did not get a single opportunity to feature in the playing XI.

Yet, he made headlines throughout the campaign due to his presence around Kohli.

Fans often spotted him eagerly following the Indian superstar during practice sessions, team photos, and post-match celebrations. His admiration for the modern-day great became something of an inside meme. Aakash Chopra, addressing RCB’s retention plans on his YouTube channel, spoke about the youngster's release.

"RCB have released Swastik Chikara so he will not be seen in Kohli's photos now.

They do not need too many players. The team has won. Who would change a team that has won?" he said.

Alongside him, the team parted ways with several big names such as Mayank Agarwal, Liam Livingstone, Lungi Ngidi, Manoj Bhandage, Blessing Muzarabani, and Mohit Rathee. The defending champions now enter the auction with a purse of INR 16.40 crore and eight available slots, including two for overseas players.