Virat Kohli celebrates his half-century during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 T20 cricket match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Sunrisers Hyderabad, at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, in Bengaluru, Karnataka. (PTI photo)
BENGALURU: The M Chinnaswamy Stadium was bathed in red on Saturday night – not just in colour, but in the dominating form of defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru as they opened their IPL campaign with a six-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad.After Jacob Duffy (3/22) got the match off to a flying start, it was Devdutt Padikkal and Virat Kohli who sparked the chase. Padikkal’s mastery of 61 off 26 balls and Kohli’s unbeaten 69 off 38 ensured that RCB made light work of the 200-run target, going home with 26 balls to spare.While playing in his backyard, Padikkal looked in complete control. After an impressive domestic season that saw him play a key role in the Karnataka side’s run to the Ranji Trophy final, the left-hander carried that form throughout the night.Coming in after the early departure of Phil Salt (8), Padikkal wasted little time settling in.
A trademark flick for a six from Jaydev Unadkat set the tone. Particularly impressive was his intent against left-arm fast bowler David Paine, including a single knee and a six.Often criticized for stumbling at the crease, Padikkal showed improved footwork and raced to a half-century with a crisp straight drive, as Kohli cheered from the other end. Padikkal, who was looking for a big game against Harsh Dubey, failed to get past the mid-on region as Klaassen got in regulation.
Kohli, who was 30 when the partnership ended, has changed course. He stabilized the innings with a short catch that saw skipper Rajat Patidar (31) and Jitish Sharma (0) fall off successive deliveries to Paine. As the finish line approached, Kohli and Tim David (16 no.) finished the race without any fuss.
Davi, Ishaan Show
The early story was of the new players – one making his bow in the IPL, the other leading the team for the first time in the competition.RCB pacer Jacob Duffy celebrated his debut in style, as he tore up the SRH top order. But Ishan, who captained SRH for the first time, withstood the early rush, producing a counter-attack with a 38-ball 80 to dig his side out of trouble.SRH recovered from the early hiccups and credited Ishan’s composure total and Aniket Verma’s late flourish (43 off 18 balls).Duffy made an immediate impact. Led by the bowling attack in the absence of Australian fast Josh Hazlewood, the New Zealander scored his second to break the back of SRH’s explosive system. Abhishek Sharma made the mistake of pulling wicket-keeper Jitesh Sharma. Five balls later, Travis Head fell to a short ball, pulling straight to Phil Salt at deep backward square leg. Nitish Reddy followed soon after, edging another short delivery to Abhinandan Kumar at mid-wicket.As wickets fell around him, Ishaan kept his nerve. The left-hander found his rhythm against medium pacer Abhinandan Kumar in the sixth over, smashing 6, 4, 6 to signal a shift in momentum.After his strong participation in the T20 World Cup, Ishan has carried this form seamlessly. Ishaan found a capable ally in Heinrich Klaasen (31), and the duo put together a crucial 97-run stand for the fourth wicket.Just as Ishan looked set for a century, his 74-minute stay ended in dramatic fashion, with Salt pulling off a stunning one-handed catch on the boundary to become Abhinandan’s first wicket in the IPL.