Virat Kohli and Ishan Kishan (Image source: BCCI/IPL)
New Delhi: The stage is set. IPL 2026 is here, and the tournament begins with an exciting clash between defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and 2016 winners Sunrisers Hyderabad at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday.SRH will be without their usual captain Pat Cummins for the initial phase, with Ishan Kishan in place as stand-in captain.
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Rajat Patidar, who led RCB to their maiden Indian Premier League title in 2025, will continue to lead the team this season.However, RCB will miss the services of key duo Josh Hazlewood and Yash Dayal, both of whom played crucial roles in last year’s victory. In their absence, the responsibility of the new ball falls on the shoulders of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jacob Duffy and Mangesh Yadav.
Meanwhile, RCB’s batting looks formidable on paper. With Virat Kohli at the top, the likes of Phil Salt, Jacob Bethell, Tim David, Venkatesh Iyer and Romario Shepherd add depth and firepower.SRH also boasts of an explosive batting line-up that includes Travis Head, Ishan Kishan and Abhishek Sharma at the top. Their midfield is equally strong, with Heinrich Klaassen, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Liam Livingstone all capable of turning a game on its head.
The IPL 2026 season will be played in 12 venues in India from March 28 to May 31, including Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata, Delhi, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Jaipur, Dharamsala, Raipur and New Chandigarh.
ibel 2026, RCB vs SRH : Pitch report
The surface of the M Chinnaswamy Stadium is expected to greatly favor the batsmen – in short, batting heaven awaits. High-scoring competition seems inevitable. The team winning the toss is more likely to bowl first, and chasing is generally easier in this setting.
While there is no truly safe total in T20 cricket, anything above 220 should be considered competitive.
IPL 2026, RCB vs SRH: Head to Head
Play: 25RCB won: 11SRH won: 13No result: 1
IPL 2026, RCB vs SRH: Weather update
Rain breaks are all too common at Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium, where passing rain often sets up a game of hide-and-seek during matches. However, the weather for Saturday at 7:30 PM IST looks perfect for cricket. Skies are expected to be clear, with temperatures ranging between 24°C and 28°C during match hours.
Humidity will hover around 60%, and a full match will likely be played without any interruptions due to rain.
IPL 2026, RCB vs SRH: Expected lineup
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Phil Salt, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (C), Jitesh Sharma (WK), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jacob Duffy, Mangesh Yadav. Sunrisers Hyderabad: Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan (C/WK), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Heinrich Klassen, Aniket Verma, Harshal Patel, Liam Livingstone, Zeeshan Ansari, Ishan Malinga, Jaydev Unadkat
IPL 2026, RCB vs SRH: Full Squads
RCB: Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar (C), Devdutt Padikkal, Venkatesh Iyer, Vihan Malhotra, Kanishk Chauhan, Phil Salt, Jitesh Sharma, Jordan Cox, Krunal Pandya, Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Jacob Bethel, Swapnil Singh, Satwik Deswal, Suyash Sharma, Vicky Ostwal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yash Dayal, Josh Hazlewood, Nuwan Thashara, Raseekh Salam, Jacob Duffy, Mangesh Yadav, Abhinandan SinghSexual and reproductive health: Travis Head, Ishan Kishan, Heinrich Klaassen, Samaran Ravichandran, Abhishek Sharma, Harsh Dubey, Kamindu Mendis, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Pat Cummins (c), Ishan Malinga, Jaydev Unadkat, Harshal Patel, Salil Arora, Praful Heng, Liam Livingstone, Shivam Mavi, Jack Edwards, Brydon Karse, Saquib. Hussain, Zeeshan Ansari, Aniket Verma, Amit Kumar, Krenz Volitra
reconnaissance
The batting lineup of which team do you find stronger?