Royal Challengers Bengaluru thrashed Sunrisers Hyderabad by 6 wickets in the IPL 2026 opener at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru on March 28, 2026. RCB chased down 202 in just 15.4 overs with 26 balls to spare.
Devdutt Padikkal (61 off 26) and Virat Kohli (69* off 38) stitched a 101-run stand that crushed SRH’s hopes. Earlier, Jacob Duffy ripped through SRH’s top order with 3/22 on his IPL debut, earning the Player of the Match award.
Match Summary: RCB vs SRH, IPL 2026 Match 1
| Details | Info |
|---|---|
| SRH Score | 201/9 (20 overs) |
| RCB Score | 203/4 (15.4 overs) |
| Result | RCB won by 6 wickets (26 balls remaining) |
| Venue | M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru |
| Best Batter (SRH) | Ishan Kishan – 80 off 38 balls |
| Best Batter (RCB) | Virat Kohli – 69* off 38 balls |
| Best Bowler (RCB) | Jacob Duffy – 3/22 in 4 overs |
| Best Bowler (SRH) | David Payne – 2/35 in 3 overs |
| Player of the Match | Jacob Duffy (RCB) |
SRH Innings: 201/9 in 20 Overs
SRH’s start was disastrous. Jacob Duffy removed both openers inside the powerplay. Travis Head (11) and Abhishek Sharma (7) fell cheaply, and Nitish Kumar Reddy followed for just 1. SRH were 29/3 after 4.2 overs.
Ishan Kishan counter-attacked brilliantly. The interim captain (filling in for injured Pat Cummins) smashed 80 off 38 balls with 8 fours and 5 sixes. He reached his fifty off just 27 deliveries.
Heinrich Klaasen added 31 off 22 in a 97-run fourth-wicket stand with Kishan that steadied the innings. Later, Aniket Verma exploded for 43 off 18 (SR: 238.88) with 3 fours and 4 sixes to push SRH past 200.
SRH Top Performers with the Bat
| Batter | Runs | Balls | 4s/6s | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ishan Kishan (c)† | 80 | 38 | 8 / 5 | 210.52 |
| Aniket Verma | 43 | 18 | 3 / 4 | 238.88 |
| Heinrich Klaasen | 31 | 22 | 2 / 1 | 140.90 |
RCB Bowling: Best Figures
| Bowler | Overs | Runs | Wickets | Economy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jacob Duffy | 4 | 22 | 3 | 5.50 |
| Romario Shepherd | 4 | 54 | 3 | 13.50 |
| Suyash Sharma | 3 | 28 | 1 | 9.33 |
| Bhuvneshwar Kumar | 4 | 31 | 1 | 7.75 |
Fall of Wickets: 1-18 (Abhishek, 2.1), 2-23 (Head, 2.6), 3-29 (Nitish, 4.2), 4-126 (Klaasen, 13.1), 5-137 (Arora, 14.3), 6-155 (Kishan, 15.6), 7-167 (Dubey, 16.6), 8-174 (Harshal, 17.5), 9-192 (Verma, 18.6)
RCB Chase: 203/4 in 15.4 Overs
Phil Salt departed early for 8, caught by Klaasen off Unadkat in the second over. That was about the only joy SRH had all evening.
Devdutt Padikkal, the impact sub who replaced Duffy, came in and went ballistic. He smashed 61 off 26 balls (7 fours, 4 sixes) and reached his fifty off just 21 deliveries.
The Kohli-Padikkal stand produced 101 runs off 44 balls. RCB raced to 100 in just 8.1 overs. After Padikkal fell, captain Rajat Patidar kept the momentum going with 31 off 12 (SR: 258.33).
Virat Kohli anchored the chase with a classy 69* off 38 (5 fours, 5 sixes). He brought up his fifty off 33 balls and stayed unbeaten to seal the win. Tim David (16* off 10) finished things off in the 16th over.
RCB’s powerplay score of 76/1 in 6 overs set up the entire chase. SRH never had a chance to claw back.
RCB Top Performers with the Bat
| Batter | Runs | Balls | 4s/6s | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virat Kohli | 69* | 38 | 5 / 5 | 181.57 |
| Devdutt Padikkal | 61 | 26 | 7 / 4 | 234.61 |
| Rajat Patidar (c) | 31 | 12 | 2 / 3 | 258.33 |
| Tim David | 16* | 10 | 1 / 1 | 160.00 |
SRH Bowling: Best Figures
| Bowler | Overs | Runs | Wickets | Economy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Payne | 3 | 35 | 2 | 11.66 |
| Harsh Dubey | 3 | 35 | 1 | 11.66 |
| Jaydev Unadkat | 3 | 29 | 1 | 9.66 |
Fall of Wickets: 1-9 (Salt, 1.1), 2-110 (Padikkal, 8.4), 3-163 (Patidar, 12.2), 4-163 (Jitesh Sharma, 12.3)
Verdict: Defending Champions RCB Starts their Campaign with Victory by 6 Wickets against SRH
RCB’s bowling set the tone, and their batting made it a procession. SRH will need to find answers for their powerplay fragility and bowling depth before their next fixture. For the defending champions, this was exactly the kind of statement performance they wanted on opening night.
