IPL 2026 begins with a bang as Kohli and Padikkal power RCB to victory
New Delhi : Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) made a strong statement in the opening match of IPL 2026. On Saturday, March 28, at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, RCB defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) by 6 wickets in a high-voltage clash. The win was powered by Jacob Duffy’s impressive bowling debut and explosive batting from Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal.
Jacob Duffy shines on debut
After winning the toss, RCB chose to bowl first, and New Zealand pacer Jacob Duffy made an immediate impact. Playing his debut match, he picked up 3 wickets for just 22 runs, breaking SRH’s top order early. Big names like Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head were dismissed cheaply, leaving Hyderabad struggling at 29/3.
Ishan Kishan leads the fightback
In a tough situation, stand-in captain Ishan Kishan led from the front. In his first match as captain, he played a brilliant knock of 80 runs off just 38 balls, hitting 8 fours and several sixes. Heinrich Klaasen (31) and a quick 43 off 18 balls by Aniket Verma helped SRH post a strong total of 201/9 in 20 overs.
Kohli and Padikkal seal the chase
Chasing 202, RCB got off to a flying start. Devdutt Padikkal smashed 61 runs off just 26 balls, attacking from the beginning. After his dismissal, Virat Kohli took charge and played a classy unbeaten knock of 69 off 38 balls. Captain Rajat Patidar also contributed with a quick 31 off 12 balls to finish the game.
RCB chased down the target in just 15.4 overs, registering a big win. With this victory, Bengaluru moved to the top of the points table with an impressive net run rate of +2.907.
