Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru will look to start their IPL 2026 campaign strongly when they take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in the tournament opener. The match will be held at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday. Rajat Patidar will captain RCB, while Ishan Kishan will lead SRH in the absence of Australia skipper Pat Cummins, who is still regaining full fitness.
RCB will aim to carry forward the momentum from their maiden IPL title win in 2025. SRH will be eager to bounce back after a disappointing campaign last season, where they finished sixth.
Key Player Absences for Both Sides
RCB will be without key pacers Josh Hazlewood and Yash Dayal. Both played crucial roles in their IPL 2025 triumph. Hazlewood is currently undergoing rehabilitation in Australia and is expected to join later. Dayal will miss the entire season.
In their absence, RCB’s bowling attack will rely on experienced names like Bhuvneshwar Kumar, along with Krunal Pandya, Suyash Sharma and young pacer Mangesh Yadav. SRH will be without their regular skipper Cummins for the initial phase, with Kishan stepping in as captain.
Batting Line-ups to be Crucial
With both teams having potential vulnerabilities in their bowling departments, much will depend on their formidable batting line-ups. RCB will bank on the likes of Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Rajat Patidar, Tim David, Jacob Bethell and Romario Shepherd. SRH boast firepower in Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan and Heinrich Klaasen.
Match Details
- Venue: M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
- Date: Saturday, March 28
- Start Time: 7:30 PM IST (Toss at 7:00 PM IST)
- TV Broadcast: Star Sports Network
- Live Streaming: JioHotstar app
Squad Lists
RCB squad includes Rajat Patidar, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar, Phil Salt, Jitesh Sharma, Jordan Cox, Krunal Pandya, Swapnil Singh, Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Jacob Bethell, Venkatesh Iyer, Satvik Deswal, Mangesh Yadav, Vicky Ostwal, Vihaan Malhotra, Kanishk Chouhan, Josh Hazlewood, Rasikh Dar, Suyash Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Nuwan Thushara, Abhinandan Singh, Jacob Duffy and Yash Dayal.
SRH squad includes Pat Cummins, Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Heinrich Klaasen, Ishan Kishan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Liam Livingstone, Harshal Patel, Kamindu Mendis, Brydon Carse, Harsh Dubey, Aniket Verma, Smaran Ravichandran, Salil Arora, Jaydev Unadkat, Shivam Mavi, Zeeshan Ansari, Eshan Malinga, Sakib Hussain, and newcomer David Payne.
The clash between RCB and SRH is highly anticipated.