RCB vs SRH Predicted Playing 11, IPL 2026 Live Updates: Bengaluru start title defence with stern Hyderabad test

IPL 2026, RCB vs SRH Team Predicted Playing 11 Today Match, Players List, Live Score Updates: RCB players will be sporting black armbands today in memory of the 11 fans that died in the stampede last year outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium while celebrating the franchise's first IPL title.

IPL 2026, RCB vs SRH Team Predicted Playing 11 for Today Match Live Updates: Royal Challengers Bengaluru begin their defence of the Indian Premier League title with a home game against the Sunrisers Hyderabad. It promises to be a day with plenty of runs, considering the Chinnaswamy Stadium’s short boundaries and SRH batters’ long six-hitting capacities. Not to mention the absence of pacers like Pat Cummins (for SRH) and Josh Hazlewood (for RCB).

So far, only Chennai Super Kings (2010, 2011) and Mumbai Indians (2019, 2020) have managed to win back-to-back IPL titles in 18 seasons of the league. Can RCB join that list this season by going all the way again? Old hand AB de Villiers certainly believes so. If RCB have to win a title again, they will need their talisman Virat Kohli to goo off again like he did in IPL 2025, scoring 657 runs in 15 matches — with half-centuries in eight of those games — at a strike rate of 144.71.

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Scroll down to follow all our live updates from the RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 opener

Live Updates
Mar 28, 2026 12:57 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Updates: Which young Indian players could step up for RCB this season?

When RCB’s Director of Cricket, Mo Bobat, spoke recently at a pre-tournament press conference, he named three players: Rasikh Dar, Abhinandan Singh and Mangesh Yadav.

“Rasikh, who many of you will know. Abhinandan also had been there last year. And then we also signed Mangesh in this auction. So, domestically we have three excellent potential options that we're facing. So, it's obviously a blow losing a player like Yash (Dayal). That's obvious, he's been an important part of us for the last couple of years. But we're very confident in the options we've got in the squad. And we will select a team accordingly,” Bobat said.

Mar 28, 2026 12:51 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Updates: What’s Pat Cummins up to?

Just like his Australia teammate Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins is out injured and will miss the RCB vs SRH game. Cummins is expected to be sidelined for the first half of the IPl 2026 season due to injury, so Ishan Kishan has been named interim captain.

“I’m back bowling in the nets,” Cummins told the Business of Sport recently. “The IPL is starting soon. I won’t make the start of that, but it shouldn’t be too long before I’m back out there playing. I’m back bowling. I’m bowling basically every third day at the moment. We’ve mapped out a plan to get me right by middle of the tournament, so hopefully, if nothing goes wrong, I’ll play the back half plus the finals.”

Mar 28, 2026 12:12 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Updates: What is up with Josh Hazlewood?

Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood had an IPL to remember last time around—claiming 22 wickets at an economy rate of 8.77—as the RCB strode to the IPL 2025 title. This time, while he is still part of the franchise, he will be missing from the start of the season due to an Achilles injury.

At their pre-tournament press conference, RCB’s Director of Cricket, Mo Bobat, spoke about Hazlewood's availability.

“So, as most people would know, Josh has missed quite a bit of cricket recently with injuries. So he's currently working through a return to play programme. He's doing that in Australia currently. We are liaising very closely with both Josh and Cricket Australia. And our medical teams are collaborating very strongly on a day-to-day basis on this programme,” Bobat said.

Bobat added, “We'll continue to communicate with him. And as soon as he gets to a point where Cricket Australia are happy, he'll come over. And we hope to have him with us very soon.”

Mar 28, 2026 12:12 PM IST
IPL 2026 Live Updates: Hello and welcome!

Here, we go! The much-awaited start of the IPL season 19 is here with the defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru hosting the Sunrisers Hyderabad at Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium.

RCB to keep 11 seats permanently vacant during IPL games at Chinnaswamy Stadium to honour stampede victims

Nearly ten months after a stampede outside M Chinnaswamy Stadium claimed eleven lives during the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) men’s team’s maiden Indian Premier League (IPL) title celebrations, the franchise and the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) are planning a series of tributes to honour the victims, timed to coincide with the start of the title defence this Saturday.

On June 4, 2025, chaos erupted outside the stadium when thousands of fans gathered for RCB’s celebratory events following their first-ever IPL trophy win. After the stampede and the deaths, the franchise faced widespread criticism for proceeding with celebrations that drew massive crowds without the requisite security clearances.

Speaking to the media Tuesday, RCB chief executive officer (CEO) Rajesh Menon confirmed that all players will wear jersey number 11 during their pre-match practice session on game days throughout the IPL. They will also wear black armbands.

“We are also looking at 11 permanent seats in Chinnaswamy Stadium forever. This is for the 11 fans who will be with us forever,” he added.

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