The first match of IPL 2026 was played between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Sunrisers Hyderabad. RCB captain Rajat Patidar won the toss and decided to bowl first. RCB won the match
Batting first, Sunrisers Hyderabad posted a total of 201 runs for the loss of 9 wickets in 20 overs. For Hyderabad, Captain Ishan Kishan scored a half-century, smashing 80 runs off just 38 balls. Aniket Verma played a knock of 43 runs off 18 balls, while Heinrich Klaasen contributed 31 runs off 22 deliveries. Apart from these players, none of the other batsmen could make a significant impact.
Turning to Sunrisers Hyderabad’s bowling performance, David Payne claimed 2 wickets, while both Jaydev Unadkat and Harsh Dubey took one wicket each.
Chasing a target of 202 runs, Virat Kohli appeared to be in tremendous form for RCB. Opening the innings, he faced a total of 38 deliveries. During this time, he successfully scored an unbeaten 69 runs at a strike rate of 181.57. Apart from him, the number three batsman, Devdutt Padikkal, contributed 61 runs off 26 balls.
Jacob Duffy, making his debut for RCB, claimed 3 wickets, while Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Suyash Sharma, and Romario Shepherd each took one wicket.
RCB has secured a magnificent victory in the first match of the IPL.
