In anticipation of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) IPL 2026 match against Kolkata Knight Riders at Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur, former Indian pacer Zaheer Khan has proposed several changes to the team lineup. He believes that the pitch conditions may favor fast bowlers due to expected uneven bounce. Khan suggested that RCB consider dropping either Romario Shepherd or Jacob Bethell to introduce a more effective Indian or overseas fast bowler, potentially improving their bowling attack. Additionally, he highlighted the underwhelming performance of spinner Suyash Sharma, who has taken only seven wickets in ten matches this season at an economy rate of 8.57. Khan recommended replacing Sharma with Venkatesh Iyer to strengthen the batting lineup. RCB recently secured a narrow victory against Mumbai Indians, with Krunal Pandya playing a pivotal role by scoring 73 runs in a tense finish.