IPL 2026 opened with a bang at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on March 28, 2026. Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru took on Sunrisers Hyderabad in the tournament opener under lights, and RCB wasted no time in announcing their intent.
Chasing 203, RCB romped home by 6 wickets with 26 balls to spare, a statement win to kick off their title defence.
Scorecard Summary
| Team | Runs | Wickets | Overs | Top Scorer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SRH | 201 | 9 | 20.0 | Ishan Kishan (80) |
| RCB | 203 | 4 | 15.4 | Virat Kohli (69*) |
Match Summary
RCB won the toss and elected to field first.
SRH posted a competitive 201/9 in their 20 overs, powered by a blazing 80 off 38 balls from captain Ishan Kishan and a late cameo of 43 off 18 from Aniket Verma. RCB’s Jacob Duffy and Romario Shepherd picked up three wickets each to keep SRH in check.
RCB then dismantled the target with ruthless efficiency. Impact substitute Devdutt Padikkal smashed 61 off just 26 balls, while Virat Kohli anchored the chase with an unbeaten 69 off 38. Captain Rajat Patidar chipped in with a quickfire 31 off 12. RCB reached 203/4 in 15.4 overs their most dominant home chase in recent memory.
Key Partnership: Padikkal and Kohli stitched together a 101-run second-wicket stand off just 44 balls, effectively killing the contest by the halfway mark of the chase.
Top Performers
Batting
| Player | Team | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ishan Kishan | SRH | 80 | 38 | 8 | 5 |
| Devdutt Padikkal | RCB | 61 | 26 | 7 | 4 |
| Virat Kohli | RCB | 69* | 38 | 5 | 5 |
| Aniket Verma | SRH | 43 | 18 | 3 | 4 |
| Rajat Patidar | RCB | 31 | 12 | 2 | 3 |
| Heinrich Klaasen | SRH | 31 | 22 | 2 | 1 |
Bowling
| Player | Team | Overs | Runs | Wickets | Economy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jacob Duffy | RCB | 4 | 22 | 3 | 5.50 |
| Romario Shepherd | RCB | 4 | 54 | 3 | 13.50 |
| Bhuvneshwar Kumar | RCB | 4 | 31 | 1 | 7.75 |
| Suyash Sharma | RCB | 3 | 28 | 1 | 9.33 |
| David Payne | SRH | 3 | 35 | 2 | 11.66 |
| Jaydev Unadkat | SRH | 3 | 29 | 1 | 9.66 |
Player of the Match
Jacob Duffy (RCB) — 3/22 in 4 overs. Economical, incisive, and sharp on debut.
