New Delhi: The stage is set. IPL 2026 is here, and the tournament kicked off between defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and 2016 winners Sunrisers Hyderabad at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday.SRH will be without their regular captain Pat Cummins for the opening leg, with Ishan Kishan serving as the stand-in captain.
Rajat Patidar, who led RCB to their maiden IPL title in 2025, will continue to lead the team this season.However, RCB will be missing the services of key fast bowlers Josh Hazlewood and Yash Dayal, both of whom played a crucial role in last year’s victory. In his absence, the new-ball responsibility will fall on Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jacob Duffy and Mangesh Yadav.RCB’s batting, meanwhile, looks formidable on paper. Along with Virat Kohli at the top, the likes of Phil Salt, Jacob Bethel, Tim David, Venkatesh Iyer and Romario Shepherd add depth and strength.SRH also boasts of an explosive batting line-up with Travis Head, Ishan Kishan and Abhishek Sharma at the top. Their middle order is equally strong, with Henrik Klaasen, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Liam Livingstone capable of turning a game.The IPL 2026 season will be played from March 28 to May 31 at 12 venues across India, including Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata, Delhi, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Jaipur, Dharamsala, Raipur and New Chandigarh.
IPL 2026, RCB vs SRH : Pitch report
The batsmen are expected to love the surface of the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium – in short, batting heaven awaits. A high-scoring contest seems inevitable. The team likely to win the toss will bowl first, at which point the chase is usually easy. While no total is safe in T20 cricket, anything above 220 should be considered competitive.
IPL 2026, RCB vs SRH: Head to Head
Played: 25RCB won: 11SRH won: 13No result: 1
IPL 2026, RCB vs SRH: Weather Update
Rain disruptions are quite common at Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium, with frequent downpours during matches. However, Saturday’s 7:30 PM IST start time looks great for cricket. Clear skies are expected with temperatures between 24°C and 28°C during the match hours. Humidity will remain around 60%, and there is a chance of a full game uninterrupted by rain.
IPL 2026, RCB vs SRH: Predicted XIs
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Phil Salt, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikal, Rajat Patidar (c), Jitesh Sharma (wicket), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jacob Duffy, Mangesh Yadav Sunrisers Hyderabad: Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishaan Kishan (C/wk), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Henrik Klaasen, Aniket Verma, Harshal Patel, Liam Livingstone, Zeeshan Ansari, Ishaan Malinga, Jaydev Unaddict
IPL 2026, RCB vs SRH: Complete Squads
RCB: Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar (C), Devdutt Padikal, Venkatesh Iyer, Vihaan Malhotra, Kanishk Chauhan, Phil Salt, Jitesh Sharma, Jordan Cox, Krunal Pandya, Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Jacob Bethel, Swapnil Singh, Sativish Kumar, Bhweesh Kumar, Aayush Kumar, Bhweesh Kumar, Bhweesh Kumar. Dayal, Josh Hazlewood, Nuwan Thishara, Rasukh Salam, Jacob Duffy, Mangesh Yadav, Abhinandan SinghSRH: Travis Head, Ishaan Kishan, Henrik Klaasen, Simran Ravichandran, Abhishek Sharma, Harsh Dubey, Kamindu Mendis, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Pat Cummins (c), Ishan Malinga, Jaydev Annadakt, Harshal Patel, Salil Arora, Parful Henge, Liam Livingstone, Hussain Advance, Shaverden, Hussain Advance, BBC. Zeeshan Ansari, Aniket Verma, Amit Kumar, Cranes Folitra.
