Picture : @IPL/X
Royal Challengers Bengaluru began their Title defence of Tata IPL 2026 in style as they beat Sunrisers Hyderabad in front of their home crowd by a convincing 26 runs.
Earlier, RCB Skipper Rajat Patidar won the toss and opted to bowl first . SRH were jolted early as dangerous Travid Head was dismissed cheaply for 11, Abhishek Sharma followed soon for 7 . But stand-in Skipper Ishjan Kishan in place of regular skipper Pat Cummins gave the team the momentum with a blazing 80 ( 38 balls, 8 fours, 5 sixes). Nitish Kumar Reddy out for 1 . Heinrich Klaasen 31 , Aniket Verma quick 18 ball 43 ( 3 fours, 4 sixes) somehow hlped SRH reach a fighting total of 201/9 in their 20 overs.
RCB Bowling : Jacob Duffy in his IPL debut was impressive with 3/22 ( 4 overs), Bhuvneshwar Kumar 1/31 ( 4 overs), Abhinandan Singh 1/38 ( 3 overs), Romario Shepherd 3/54 ( 4 overs), Suyash Sharma 1/28 ( 3 overs), Krunal Pandya 0/26 ( 2 overs)
In reply, RCB were in control right through despite losing four wickets. There was no panic even while chasing a 200 plus total . They lost explosive opener Philip Salt for 8. But the chase master Virat Kohli was in sublime touch and anchored the innings well . The intesity and fitness there to see . Virat was majestic in the chase and remained unbeaten with a fine 69 ( 38 balls 5 fours, 5 sixes).
Impact player Devdutt Padikkal grabbed the chance with both hands to play a superb innings of 61 ( 26 balls , 7 fours, 4 sixes), Skipper Rajat Patidar a quick 12 ball 31 ( 2 fours 3, sixes), Jitesh Sharma was out for 0. Aussie Tim David not out 16 along with Virat saw RCB home by six wickets reaching 203/4 ( 15. 4 overs) with 26 balls to spare . An emphatic win
Century stand. Match won. Job done! ✅
A masterclass in chasing from @imVkohli and @devdpd07 🤝
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— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) March 28, 2026
SRH Bowling : Nitish Kumar Reddy 0/19 ( 2 overs), Jaydev Unadkat 1/29 ( 3 overs), David Payne 2/35 ( 3 overs), Harsh Dubey 1/35 ( 3 overs), Eshan Malinga 0/35 ( 2 overs), Harshal Patel 0/39 ( 2.4 overs) . With no Pat Cummins SRH bowling looks a tad bit weak..
Match: IPL 2026, 1st Match
Venue: Bengaluru | Date: March 28, 2026
