IPL 2026 RCB vs SRH Updates: King Kohli guides RCB to easy win

Sat, 28 March 2026

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23:04

King Kohli guides RCB to easy win

RCB 203-4 (15.4 ovs) vs SRH 201-9 | SCORECARD

Kohli picks a single off David Payne to race to his fifty from just 33 balls. This is Kohli's 64th fifty in the IPL as he puts RCB on course for an emphatic victory in the IPL season opener.

The slower short ball angled across from the left-arm pacer as David adjusts to swat it over the covers for a four.

Payne bowls a wide before David hammers the next over the off-side for a six followed by singles off the last two balls.

Harshal back into the attack. Kohli on the charge as he lofts the first ball for a six before he top edges the pull shot over the wicketkeeper for a four.

Kohli uses his feet to hammer Harshal over the off-side for a four and then guides the slower short ball fine on the off-side for another four.

22:57

RCB in control vs SRH

RCB 170-4 (14 ovs) vs SRH 201-9 | SCORECARD

Unadkat back into the attack. He mixes his pace and length as David mistimes the pull shot for a single and Kohli hits the next to long-on for another run.

Kohli pushes the slower short ball to the fielder at point before he slaps the next for just one.

The slower bouncer sails high and is ruled a wide before SRH take the review. But the ball has clearly gone over David and SRH end up losing their second and final review, both trying to review wides.

RCB in complete control on 170/4 in 14 overs, needing another 32 from the last six overs for victory.

Kohli is batting on 49 from 32 balls, looking to guide RCB to victory.

22:51

RCB in control vs SRH

RCB 164-4 (13 ovs) vs SRH 201-9 | SCORECARD

David Payne gets his maiden IPL wicket as he dismisses the dangerous Patidar.

The RCB skipper smashed an entertaining 31 from 20 balls before he miscued the slower ball and was caught at mid-off.

Payne strikes again off the next ball. Jitesh Sharma pulls the slower ball straight into the hands of Unadkat at deep square leg to perish for a first-ball duck.

Tim David denies Payne the hat-trick as he taps the first ball he faces on the off-side.

He blocks the next one as well before taking a single off the last ball to retain strike.

Payne, who went for 18 in his first over, bounces back with a double strike in his next while conceding just two runs.

22:43

RCB set for easy win vs SRH

Virat Kohli

RCB 162-2 (12 ovs) vs SRH 201-9 | SCORECARD

RCB captain Patidar goes after Dubey as he swings the spinner wide of long-on for a six before he takes one off the next.

Kohli taking charge as he uses his feet to launch Dubey straight down the ground for another six.

The asking rate is under seven as RCB look on course for an easy victory.

Pacer Eshan Malinga back into the attack. He starts with an overpitched delivery which Patidar easily lofts back over the bowler's head for a four.

The slower bouncer sails high and is ruled a wide and the same a couple of balls later.

Malinga struggling with his length. Another overpitched delivery at full pace is despatched over long-on for a six by Patidar to race to 24 from nine balls.

Malinga looks to keep it out of Patidar's reach but ends up bowling a wide on the off-side.

Patidar on fire! He flicks another full delivery over midwicket for the second six of the over.

A single to Patidar brings up the 50-run stand for the third wicket from just 22 balls.

Malinga bowls the fourth wide of the over before Kohli keeps strike with one from the last ball.

22:33

Padikkal out for 26-ball 61

RCB 126-2 (10 ovs) vs SRH 201-9 | SCORECARD

Kohli in ominous touch. He plays an amazing whips off his pads, swatting Harshal over square leg for a wonderful six.

He pulls the third ball on the leg side for one before Patidar cuts Patel in the gap past point for a four and then takes one.

Harshal bowls a wide on the off-side before Kohli takes one to keep strike.

RCB cruising on 126/2 in 10 overs at the halfway mark, needing another 76 for victory.

Kohli has looked in complete control, stroking 38 from 23 balls, as he looks keen to finish off the match quickly.

22:26

Padikkal out for 26-ball 61

RCB 111-2 (9 ovs) vs SRH 201-9 | SCORECARD

Spinner Dubey back into the attack. Kohli picks a single first ball as RCB race past 100 in the ninth over.

Padikkal gets the outside edge trying to cut as the ball goes fine on the off-side for a four.

He swipes the next ball high over square leg for a six to raise the 100-run stand from just 44 balls as RCB continue to dominate.

However, Dubey gets revenge as Padikkal mistimes the lofted shot and holes out a simple catch to Klaasen at long-off.

Padikkal walks back after a superb innings of 61 from 26 balls, including four sixes and seven fours.

That wicket will come as a huge relief for SRH and they will look for another wicket or two in the next few overs to get back into the contest.

22:23

Padikkal slams 22-ball fifty; RCB on top

RCB 99-1 (8 ovs) vs SRH 201-9 | SCORECARD

Pacer Eshan Malinga comes into the attack. Padikkal continues his charge as he slaps the first ball past point for a four and then takes a single.

Kohli plays and misses as he attempts the upper cut off the slower bouncer before he flicks the next for two runs.

Kohli then shows his class as he lofts the next ball straight back over the bowler's head for a six but fails to connect with the pull off the last ball.

Harshal Patel comes into the attack from the other end. Kohli, on 28, gets a lifeline as Klaasen puts down a simple catch at long-on.

Kohli mistimes the flick but Klaasen at long-on fails to judge the flight of the ball as he waits till the last minute before surging forward but fails to gets his hands underneath.

Padikkal makes it worse for SRH as he lofts the next back over the bowler's head for a four to race to his fifty from just 21 balls.

Harshal beats him all ends up with the slower ball next but even wicketkeeper Kishan fails to gather the ball to concede four byes.

22:09

Padikkal, Kohli get RCB back on track

RCB 76-1 (6 ovs) vs SRH 201-9 | SCORECARD

Unadkat back into the attack. Kohli plays his trademark whip over midwicket for a six. He uses his feet to hammer the next through the covers for a four to raise the 50-run stand for the second wicket from just 20 balls.

Kohli swats the short ball on the leg side for one before Padikkal is beaten all ends up by the slower bouncer but it beats the wicketkeeper too for four byes.

He misses the flick last ball but collects a quick leg bye.

Left-arm spinner Harsh Dubey comes into the attack to bowl the last over of Powerplay.

Padikkal immediately targets the spinner as he sweeps the first ball for a boundary. He takes a single next ball before Kohli gets a thick inside edge trying to flick for another run.

Another single for Padikkal before Kohli flicks the spinner gently well short of the fielder at deep midwicket for another run.

A single off the last ball to Padikkal as RCB race to 76/1 in six overs.

Padikkal rallied RCB after the early dismissal of Salt, stroking 41 from 17 balls while Kohli has made 20 from 12 balls.

They need 126 from 14 overs for victory at an asking rate of nine.

22:01

Padikkal on the attack; RCB race past 50

RCB 51-1 (4 ovs) vs SRH 201-9 | SCORECARD

Reddy continues. Kohli takes a single first ball before Padikkal glances the next fine on the leg side for a four followed by a single.

Kohli misses the flick to get a leg bye before Padikkal lofts the pacer over the covers for a one bounce boundary and keeps strike with one from the last ball.

Left-arm pacer David Payne into the attack. Padikkal targets the debutant as he uses his feet to smash the pacer over the point region for a six.

The next ball is down the leg side as the left-hander clips it over midwicket for a four.

A single each to the two batters before Padikkal comes down and whips it over midwicket for the second six.

Padikkal has smashed 34 from 11 balls as RCB race past 50 in the fourth over.

21:50

Salt out for 8; RCB lose early wicket

RCB 21-1 (2 ovs) vs SRH 201-9 | SCORECARD

Jaydev Unadkat from the other end. He strikes with his first ball of IPL 2026, getting the wicket of Salt, who is caught on the off-side for eight.

He miscues the ball on the off-side looking to hit over the top. Klaasen completes a well-judged catch despite colliding with Aniket, who also went for the catch.

Devdutt Padikkal off the mark in grand style. He plays a cracking shot to get off the mark, flicking Unadkat over square leg for a six to announce his arrival in grand style.

Kohli also gets going as he slaps Unadkat over the fielder at mid-off for a boundary to get off the mark and keeps strike off the last ball.

21:47

Kishan's 38-ball 80 powers SRH to 201

RCB 9-0 (1 ov) vs SRH 201-9 | SCORECARD

RCB's openers Phil Salt and Virat Kohli walk out to open the innings. A surprise move as Nitish Kumar Reddy opens the bowling for SRH.

Salt defends the first ball on the off-side before he and Kohli are involved in a big mix up before they recover in time to make their crease.

Salt slaps the third ball square on the off-side for a boundary through point to get off the mark.

Two balls later, he smashes the fifth ball in the gap through the covers for another four before gets a leg bye off the last ball.

21:30

Ishan Kishan's 38-ball 80 powers SRH to 201

Ishan Kishan

SRH 201-9 (20 ovs) vs RCB | SCORECARD

Ishan Kishan top-scored with a blistering 80 from 38 balls to rally Sunrisers Hyderabad to 201/9 against RCB in the IPL 2026 opening match on Saturday.

Kishan's quickfire knock was instrumental in helping SRH recover after a few early wickets.

RCB pacer Jacob Duffy enjoyed a dream debut with figures of 3/22 in his four overs. He dismissed SRH openers Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head in his second over, while he claimed the wicket of Nitish Kumar Reddy in his third over.

Aniket Verma smashed a quickfire 43 form 18 balls to boost SRH's charge in the final few overs.

Phil Salt was excellent in the field, taking two stunning catches to dismiss Kishan and Klaasen.

21:25

Ishan Kishan's 38-ball 80 powers SRH to 201

SRH 201-9 (20 ovs) vs RCB | SCORECARD

Bhuvneshwar to bowl the final over. Payne hits the first ball through point for two runs before he hits the next again through the covers for two more runs.

He is struck on the pads by the yorker to get a leg bye.

Jaydev Unadkat drives the fourth ball straight down the ground for two runs before he hits the last ball through the covers for another couple of runs.

Nine runs from the final over as Sunrisers Hyderabad recover to post a healthy 201/9 in their 20 overs.

21:21

Aniket Verma falls for 18-ball 43

SRH 192-9 (19 ovs) vs RCB | SCORECARD

Shepherd to bowl the 19th over. David Payne, who comes in as the Impact Player replacing Head, takes a single first ball to hand the strike back to Aniket.

Aniket on the attack! He smashes Shepherd's full delivery straight down the ground for a huge six over long-on.

He slashes the next ball -- a slower bouncer, clearing the fielder at point for a four.

Aniket then picks another slower ball, launching it back over the bowler's head for another six.

Aniket then tries the reverse ramp but misses and the umpire rules it a wide which RCB review.

The decision is overturned as Aniket had shuffled before the ball was bowled.

Shepherd then ends his spell with the vital wicket of Aniket, who lofts it straight to Kohli at long-off.

Aniket walks back after a blistering knock of 43 from 18 balls to give SRH hopes of getting to 200.

21:14

SRH lose 8th wicket; RCB on top

SRH 175-8 (18 ovs) vs RCB | SCORECARD

Bhuvneshwar, who conceded 15 runs in two overs, is back into the attack. Aniket plays a nice ramp shot, hitting the pacer over the wicketkeeper for a four.

He miscues the next ball high but Kohli puts down a simple catch running in from long-on to leave the RCB fans shell shocked.

However, Bhuvneshwar strikes with the wicket of Harshal Patel, who hits it straight to Padikkal at long-off to be dismissed for a duck.

21:08

Shepherd strikes; SRH 7 down

SRH 167-7 (17 ovs) vs RCB | SCORECARD

Ishan Kishan is dismissed after a blistering 38-ball 80, having five sixes and eight fours.

The SRH captain brought his team back on track after a few early wickets with his brilliant strokeplay.

But he was unlucky as he mistimed the full toss from Abhinandan and Salt grabbed another superb catch at deep point. The England batter covered some good ground at deep point before he stretched out his right hand to pouch the ball to complete a stunning one-handed catch.

Shepherd back into the attack. Aniket pulls the first ball over deep square leg for a six and takes one off the next.

Harsh Dubey gets off the mark with a single to point and Aniket pulls the next for another run.

Dubey pulls the fifth ball over midwicket for two runs but falls off the next.

The left-hander flicks the last ball uppishly but straight into the hands of Padikkal at deep square leg to perish for 3.

21:02

Kishan out for 38-ball 80; SRH 6 down

SRH 155-6 (16 ovs) vs RCB | SCORECARD

Spinner Suyash is back into the attack. Arora pulls the googly pitched short as he hits it straight to the fielder at deep midwicket to perish for nine.

Two wickets in nine balls as SRH slip to 137/5 in the 15th over.

Aniket Sharma off the mark with a boundary as he late cuts Suyash fine on the off-side for a four and pulls the last ball for a single.

Pacer Abhinandan back into the attack. He continues to be on the short side as Aniket pulls a cracking pull shot despatching it over midwicket for a six.

Abhinandan responds with a cracking yorker which the right-hander digs on the off-side for a single.

Kishan goes after a full wide delivery, slicing it over point and it goes all the way for a six.

Abhinandan gets revenge next ball. Kishan mistimes the full toss looking to carve it over the off-side but Salt comes up with another magical catch to send back the SRH captain.

20:50

Klaasen out for 31; SRH 4 down

Royal Challengers Bengaluru's players celebrate

SRH 135-4 (14 ovs) vs RCB | SCORECARD

Shepherd breaks the dangerous partnership with the wicket of Klaasen with Salt taking a good catch very close to the boundary ropes.

The catch is referred to the TV umpire, who rules it in favour of the fielder, who takes a well-judged inches inside the boundary.

Klaasen is not convinced as he walks back after scoring 31 from 22 balls, having put on 97 from 53 balls for the fourth wicket with Kishan.

Did Salt touch the boundary cushion while taking the catch at deep midwicket? Sunil Gavaskar on commentary reckons 'from this angle it looks that the boundary cushion did move'.

A controversial catch livens up things in the opening match of IPL 2026.

Salil Arora gets off the mark with a single as he fails to get hold of the pull shot.

Kishan slashes Shepherd to deep point for a single before Arora top edges the pull shot but it clears the fine leg boundary for a six followed by a single.

20:40

Ishan Kishan hits 27-ball fifty; SRH go past 100

SRH 126-3 (13 ovs) vs RCB | SCORECARD

Spin from both ends as Krunal Pandya comes into the attack from the other end.

He makes a tidy start, giving away just five singles in his first over.

The two RCB spinners will look to build some pressure in the middle overs with some tight overs.

Kishan brings up his fifty in grand style. He smashes Suyash straight down the ground for a four to race to his half-century from just 27 balls.

Another overpitched delivery from the leggie as Kishan smashes it through the covers for another boundary.

The SRH pulls the last ball through square leg for the third four of the over as the visitors go past the 100-run mark, in the 13th over.

Klaasen joins in the party. A full toss from Krunal is easily despatched over midwicket by the South African for a six.

Krunal bowls a round arm delivery keeping it very low but Kishan up to the task as he swings it over square leg for a six.

The last ball is lofted straight back over the bowler's head for the third six of the over.

3 sixes and 3 singles makes it 21 from Krunal's second over.

20:28

Kishan, Klaasen get SRH back on track

SRH 87-3 (10 ovs) vs RCB | SCORECARD

Abhinandan back into the attack. After going for runs in his first over, he makes an encouraging start in his next with two singles from the first three balls.

Kishan makes up for it as he pulls the fourth ball for a four and clips the next off his pads for two runs.

He takes a single last ball to bring up the 50-run stand for the fourth wicket from 28 balls.

Spin for the first time as leg-spinner Suyash Sharma comes into the attack to bowl the 10th over.

A full wide delivery as Kishan drives it wide of the fielder at long-off for a boundary.

Singles off the next two balls before Kishan pulls the fifth ball for two runs as the fielder at deep square leg puts in the dive to stop the boundary.

SRH have recovered to 87/3 in 10 overs at the halfway mark. Kishan has been instrumental in SRH's recovery, smashing 45 from 24 balls and Klaasen has been quiet so far, with 19 from 13 balls.

20:17

Kishan, Klaasen steady SRH after early strikes

Ishan Kishan

SRH 70-3 (8 ovs) vs RCB | SCORECARD

Duffy will bowl out in his first spell, as he bowls his fourth over in a row. Singles off the first four balls as SRH go past the 50-run mark, in the seventh over.

Klaasen gets the leading edge trying to work the back of length ball on the leg side but the ball falls well short of the bowler.

Klaasen pulls the last ball on the bounce to deep midwicket for a single.

Five singles from the over as Duffy finishes with excellent figures of 3/22 in four overs in a dream debut for the Kiwi pacer.

Pacer Romario Shepherd from the other end. Klaasen takes a single first ball before Kishan slashes the next past point for a four.

He takes one on the off-side before Klaasen plays a wonderful straight drive past mid-off for his first boundary.

Another overpitched delivery as Klaasen plays another beautiful straight drive for back to back fours.

Shepherd goes short as Klaasen pulls it along the ground through midwicket for two runs to get 16 from the West Indian's first over.

20:07

Jacob Duffy leaves SRH in a mess

SRH 49-3 (6 ovs) vs RCB | SCORECARD

Debutant Abhinandan Singh to bowl the final over of Powerplay. The UP pacer nearly strikes first ball as Kishan fails to middle the pull shot but it falls just short of the fielder at square leg.

The next ball is again short but this time Kishan pulls it high and handsome, clearing square leg for a huge six.

Abhinandan keeps bowling short as Kishan swats it over midwicket for a four. The pacer goes short but this time as the SRH slashes it over the thirdman fence for the second six of the over.

16 runs from the over as SRH reach 49/3 in six overs. Kishan has started off aggressively to smash 23 from 10 balls.

20:02

Duffy takes 3; SRH in trouble

Jacob Duffy

SRH 33-3 (5 ovs) vs RCB | SCORECARD

Bhuvneshwar continues as Kishan releases some pressure as he hits the first ball through the covers for a four.

He takes a single next ball before Nitish Kumar Reddy is beaten on the outside edge by a beauty from Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who gets the ball to move away late.

Reddy throws his bat at a wide back of length ball but can't get it past point and pushes the last ball into the leg side for a single to retain strike.

Duffy to bowl his third over in the Powerplay. He strikes another blow as Reddy top edges the pull shot and is caught on the leg side for 1.

SRH sink further to 29/3 in the fifth over.

Heinrich Klaasen has his task cut out. He will need to rebuild SRH's innings in the company of Kishan. Both strokemakers will need to spend some time at the wicket and avoid taking risks for the next few overs.

Klaasen plays a nicely-timed drive through the covers off Duffy for three runs to get off the mark.

Kishan punches the back of length ball through point for a single.

Just four runs from the fifth over, with Duffy boasting of excellent figures of 3/17 in three overs. He has bowled 12 dot balls in the Powerplay which means two of his three overs were not scored of.

19:52

Dream debut for Duffy! Dismisses Head, Abhishek

SRH 23-2 (3 ovs) vs RCB | SCORECARD

A dream debut for New Zealand pacer Jacob Duffy as he dismisses Abhishek and Head in his second over.

Abhishek falls for seven in his first game of IPL 2026. Duffy strikes the early blow for RCB as Abhishek top edges the pull shot and is caught by wicketkeeper Jitesh for seven.

New Zealand pacer Duffy making an impression on his IPL debut as he gets Abhishek as his first wicket in the league.

Jitesh ran back a long way and judged the catch to perfection to give RCB an early wicket.

Captain Ishan Kishan gets off the mark with a single on the off-side. Head plays and misses before he lofts the fifth ball over mid-off for a four.

Duffy strikes again in his second over. This time it is another big wicket of Head, who pulls the pacer straight into the hands of Phil Salt at deep square leg.

Head walks back for 11 as SRH slip to 23/2 in three overs.

19:45

Abhishek off the mark with a six!

SRH 17-0 (2 ovs) vs RCB | SCORECARD

The experienced Bhuvneshwar Kumar from the other end. Head gets another inside edge for a single on the leg side.

Abhishek uses his feet but can only tap Bhuvneshwar on the off-side for just one.

Head guides the the pacer to thirdman for a single before the pacer bowls a wide down the leg side.

Abhishek has a big swing but fails to connect and is hit high on the pads before Bhuvneshwar bowls another wide down the leg side as wicketkeeper Jitesh jumps full length and save some extra runs.

Head struggling as he inside edges the last ball which goes fine on the leg side for a four.

19:39

Abhishek off the mark with a six!

SRH 7-0 (1 ov) vs RCB | SCORECARD

The dangerous left-handed combo of Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head walk out to open the batting for SRH.

Debutant Jacob Duffy will open the bowling for RCB. The first ball is pitched up and swings a bit as Head pushes it on the off-side.

The next ball is down the leg side as Head gets an inside edge trying to clip it off his pads for a single to get SRH off the mark.

A beauty from Duffy as the length ball swings away to beat Abhishek on the outside edge who plays away from the body.

Wicketkeeper Jitesh Sharma is quite confident as RCB take the DRS. But there is nothing on the UltraEdge as RCB lose the review.

Abhishek throws his bat at the next ball, slicing it square over the off-side for a six to get off the mark in grand style.

He is beaten next ball as he throws his bat at the length ball slanted across but the ball swings away to go past the outside edge.

Abhishek pushes the last ball to the fielder at point as seven runs come from the first over.

19:25

When RCB, SRH last played in Bengaluru

Factbox:

The last time RCB played against SRH in Bengaluru, a record 549 runs were scored combined by both teams, in IPL 2024 on April 15, 2024.

SRH smashed their way to a huge 287/3 in their 20 overs -- the highest team total in IPL history. Travis Head smashed a blistering 102 from 40 balls, while Heinrich Klaasen hit a quickfire 67 from 31 balls.

In reply, RCB fought till the very end, as they finished on 262/7 in their 20 overs to lose by 25 runs. Dinesh Karthik blazed his way to 83 from 35 balls, while Faf du Plessis stroked 62 from 28 balls and Kohli made 42 from 20 balls.

19:17

RCB win toss; elect to bowl vs SRH

Rajat Patidar and Ishan Kishan at the toss

A clash between the two power-packed batting line-ups of the IPL.

RCB boasts of some top batters like Kohli, Salt, Patidar and Jitesh Sharma, with explosive all-rounders like Tim David, Romario Shepherd and Krunal Pandya down the order.

SRH have a host of hard-hitting batters in Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan and Heinrich Klaasen. They also have some big-hitting all-rounders like Aniket Verma and Nitish Kumar Reddy.

Both teams looking a bit weak in the bowling, especially in the spin department.

Check out the playing XIs:

Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Virat Kohli, Philip Salt, Rajat Patidar (Captain), Jitesh Sharma (w/k), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Abhinandan Singh, Jacob Duffy, Suyash Sharma.

Sunrisers Hyderabad: Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan (Captain, w/k), Heinrich Klaasen, Aniket Verma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Salil Arora, Harsh Dubey, Harshal Patel, Jaydev Unadkat, Eshan Malinga

19:09

RCB win toss; elect to bowl vs SRH

Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain Rajat Patidar has won the toss and elected to bowl against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL 2026 opening match in Bengaluru on Saturday.

Patidar says RCB are looking to win another title this season.

Phil Salt, Tim David, Romario Shepherd and Jacob Duffy are the four overseas players for the hosts.

Ishan Kishan makes his debut as the captain in IPL as he leads SRH in the tournament opener.

SRH have fielded only three overseas players in Travis Head, Heinrich Klaasen and Eshan Malinga.

18:52

RCB vs SRH Pitch Report: 'Win the toss and chase'

RCB vs SRH Pitch Report:

Kevin Pietersen in his pitch report believes that pitch could be full of runs.

'You walk out to bat on a wicket like this, you stand, take guard and you say to yourself - runs.'

'There is grass, some bare patches too but they may not make an impact. You see the sizes of the players and bats, they can clear boundaries. There are a couple of fast bowlers running around. You need to be very good on this surface. Win the toss and chase.'

18:49

Can SRH Turn Flamboyance Into Performance?

Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma

On paper, Sunrisers Hyderabad flaunt one of the most dreaded batting lineups in IPL 2026, featuring the likes of Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan and Heinrich Klaasen.

Ironically, it was SRH's overly aggressive batting approach that led to their downfall last year as they failed to adapt to varied conditions and different match situations.

SRH began and ended their campaign in the 2025 edition with a bang. In their season-opener against Rajasthan Royals, the Orange Army amassed 286 runs and signed off by mustering 278 against Kolkata Knight Riders.

In between, the Pat Cummins-led side struggled with consistency, winning just four games while one match was washed out. They finished sixth on the 10-team table with 13 points, winning six and losing seven.

A brittle middle-order has been SRH's biggest worry over the last couple of seasons. Apart from Klaasen, who was their leading run-scorer with 487 runs at an average of 44.27 in IPL 2025, no other batter could perform consistently and finish games under pressure.

To plug that loophole, they splurged Rs 13 crore (Rs 130 million) and acquired Liam Livingstone at the Abu Dhabi auction.

Historically, SRH's core strength has lied in their top-order batters, who embraced a high-risk, high-reward batting strategy. The team is built around an ultra-attacking philosophy with Head and Abhishek leading. Both can score quickly in the Powerplay, putting immediate pressure on opponents.

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18:47

RCB Primed For IPL 2026 with Depth And Firepower

Royal Challengers Bengaluru

Royal Challengers Bengaluru enter IPL 2026 with a rare mix of stability and expectation after finally breaking their title drought in 2025.

What is rarer still is that they are going into this season as title defenders after Rajat Patidar led them to the title last season after 18-year wait.

The franchise has retained the core that won the title while veteran Virat Kohli remains the team's talisman.

RCB have a good mix of youth and experience and with the elusive title finally in the bag, they will head in to the season brimming with confidence.

There is middle-order depth with Captain Patidar, Wicket-keeper Jitesh Sharma and Tim David to name a few.

On paper, the squad has depth with multi-skill all-rounders and a strong pace attack. RCB's core Indian stars add an edge to the team, especially in batting and pace, lending the squad some good balance.

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18:41

First Time 10 Indian Captains In IPL

For the first time in IPL, all 10 teams will be captained by Indian players this season.

With Ishan Kishan stepping in as Sunrisers Hyderabad's captain at the start of the IPL in place of the injured Pat Cummins, all 10 teams are now led by Indian skippers.

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18:00

Champions RCB take on SRH in opener

Virat Kohli

Welcome to the coverage of the IPL 2026 match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Sunrisers Hyderabad in Bengaluru on Saturday.

Talisman Virat Kohli will be back in action after a gap of more than two months with defending champions RCB eyeing a winning start in IPL 2026.

RCB will playing their opening game at the M Chinnaswamy stadium in Bengaluru -- the first game at the venue since the deadly stampede during the IPL title celebrations in June last year which killed 11 people.

Both teams boast of a strong batting line-up but will be missing their key bowlers. Josh Hazlewood is unavailable for RCB, while SRH are without their captain Pat Cummins, with both Australian pacers recovering from their injuries.

We could see a lot of fireworks in the IPL opener as the pitch at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium is expected to be full of runs.

Check out the IPL 2026 Teams/Venues/Schedule

IPL 2026 RCB vs SRH Updates: King Kohli guides RCB to easy win

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