Bengaluru, March 29: In a thrilling start to the 19th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2026), Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) by six wickets. The match showcased explosive half-centuries from Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal, setting the tone for an exciting season ahead.
Played at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, RCB chased down SRH’s target of 202 runs, finishing at 203 for 4 in just 15.4 overs. Padikkal, coming in as an impact player, scored a quickfire 61 runs off just 26 balls, hitting four sixes and seven fours. He formed a crucial partnership of 101 runs for the second wicket with Kohli, who remained unbeaten on 69 runs from 38 balls, including five sixes and five fours.
Captain Rajat Patidar contributed with a brisk 31 runs off 12 balls, while Salt managed 8 runs before being dismissed. Jitesh Sharma was out for a duck, and Tim David finished with 16 runs off 10 balls.
Earlier, SRH batted first after losing the toss, posting a total of 201 runs for the loss of 9 wickets. Their innings got off to a shaky start, with openers Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head scoring just 7 and 11 runs, respectively. Nitish Reddy, who came in at number four, could only manage 1 run. However, captain Ishan Kishan and Heinrich Klaasen steadied the innings, putting together a vital partnership of 97 runs for the fourth wicket.
Klaasen scored 31 runs off 22 balls, while Kishan top-scored with 80 runs off 38 balls, hitting five sixes and eight fours. Aniketh Verma, batting at number seven, added a quick 43 runs off 18 balls, helping SRH cross the 200-run mark.
For RCB, Jacob Duffy and Romario Shepherd each took three wickets, while Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Abhinandan Singh, and SuYash Sharma claimed one wicket each.
Arpit Soni has had a passion for journalism since the beginning. Now he has turned this hobby into his profession. Arpit, who is a resident of Udaipur, enjoys editing and writing news related to journalism. He has worked as a Senior Content Producer in several important roles at Bhaskar, Patrika, Pratahkal, Punjab Kesari, and Times. Arpit completed his schooling in Udaipur and Jaipur. He has been working in the media industry for more than 10 years, and his journey is still continuing. ✍️📚
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