Former India all-rounder Ravichandran Ashwin praised RCB after they bought uncapped players Vihaan Malhotra and Kanishk Chouhan for ₹30 lakh each at the IPL 2026 mini auction. "This is scouting of a really good order. If you do such scouting, then there will not be too much competition," he said. Ashwin added, "Kanishk will go on to do special things."