Royal Challengers Bengaluru opened their IPL 2026 campaign with a convincing six-wicket victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. Jacob Duffy’s impact with the ball, followed by half-centuries from Devdutt Padikkal and Virat Kohli, powered RCB to a comfortable chase of 202 with 26 balls remaining.
RCB finished on 203 for 4 after restricting SRH to 201 for 9.
Duffy Shines on Debut
Duffy delivered an outstanding spell on his IPL debut, returning figures of 3 for 22 from four overs. Taking the new ball, he bowled four consecutive overs and struck early to remove Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head, setting the tone for RCB.
Operating with a hard length and targeting the stumps, Duffy troubled SRH’s top order, with batters struggling to control their pull shots. Nitish Kumar Reddy also fell during this phase as RCB seized early control.
Kishan Leads SRH Response
Ishan Kishan led SRH’s innings with an aggressive 80 from 38 balls in his first match as captain. He reached his half-century in 27 deliveries, maintaining a fluent scoring rate even after early wickets.
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Kishan began with a cover-driven boundary off Bhuvneshwar Kumar before accelerating against Abhinandan Singh, scoring 30 runs off 13 balls. He also attacked spin effectively before being dismissed by a sharp catch from Phil Salt near the point boundary in the 16th over.
Late Boost from Aniket
Aniket Verma provided late momentum with a quick 43 off 18 balls. His innings featured a mix of power and control, including multiple boundaries and sixes, as he pushed SRH towards a competitive total.
He eventually fell in the penultimate over while attempting another big hit.
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Padikkal and Kohli Seal the Chase
SRH struck early in the chase when Jaydev Unadkat dismissed Phil Salt for eight. However, Padikkal and Kohli then took control with a 101-run partnership off just 45 balls.
Padikkal led the charge, scoring 61 from 26 balls and reaching his fastest IPL fifty in just 21 deliveries. His aggressive approach included three fours and three sixes in his first 11 balls.
Kohli adapted his approach during the partnership, anchoring the innings and bringing up his own fifty from 33 balls.
RCB wrapped up the chase in style, with Kohli finishing the match with a sequence of 6,4,4,4 off Harshal Patel in 15.4 overs. It marked the fastest successful chase of a 200-plus target in IPL history.
Key Performances
- RCB: Virat Kohli 69*, Devdutt Padikkal 61, Jacob Duffy 3-22
- SRH: Ishan Kishan 80, Aniket Verma 43
Conclusion
RCB made a strong statement to begin their title defence, combining disciplined bowling with an aggressive batting display. Despite Kishan’s standout innings, SRH were unable to contain RCB’s chase, as the hosts completed a dominant win in Bengaluru.
