IPL 2026, RCB vs SRH LIVE Cricket Score Online: Royal Challengers Bengaluru beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by six wickets

IPL 2026 RCB vs SRH Live Cricket Score, Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Sunrisers Hyderabad Today Match Live Score Online Updates: Jacob Duffy and Romario Shepherd have picked up three wickets each for Bengaluru in the first innings

RCB vs SRH Live Score, IPL 2026 Live Cricket Score Updates: Virat Kohli’s 69 helped Royal Challengers Bengaluru thrash Sunrisers Hyderabad by six wickets. Earlier, Ishan Kishan’s 80 helped Sunrisers Hyderabad to put on 201/9 after Royal Challengers Bengaluru won the toss and opted to bowl first.

RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 LIVE Cricket Score, Full Scorecard: Watch Here

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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 go off again as 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.

RCB vs SRH Today Match Playing 11: Check Here  | RCB vs SRH Live Streaming: Watch Here

Teams:

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (Playing XI): Virat Kohli, Philip Salt, Rajat Patidar(c), Jitesh Sharma(w), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Abhinandan Singh, Jacob Duffy, Suyash Sharma

Sunrisers Hyderabad (Playing XI): Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan(w/c), Heinrich Klaasen, Aniket Verma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Salil Arora, Harsh Dubey, Harshal Patel, Jaydev Unadkat, Eshan Malinga

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

Match EndedIndian Premier League, 2026 - Match 1

Royal Challengers Bengaluru

203/4 (15.4)
vs

Sunrisers Hyderabad

201/9 (20.0)
Match Ended ( Match 1 )
Royal Challengers Bengaluru beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by 6 wickets
View Scorecard
Live Updates
Mar 28, 2026 11:08 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Score: Royal Challengers Bengaluru beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by six wickets

Well, Virat Kohli finishes the game in a flurry in the middle with three boundaries in a row. Harshal Patel summed up the day SRH has had with that over. RCB has exactly started off where they left off from last season, while SRH, with the ball, with those slower ones, tried to replicate the failed strategy last season, which again backfired. Although it is only the first game, sides will be wary of Bengaluru going forward and most importantly, the display they have given at home here. It looks like a train is stopping. Chennai did it, Mumbai did it, and the way Bengaluru has started here, they will be red-hot favourites to win it twice in a row. That is it from us folks, we will be right back with the presentation.

Mar 28, 2026 10:57 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Score: Royal Challengers Bengaluru 176/4 vs Sunrisers Hyderabad

This is a superb start for RCB in the tournament. They have laid down the marker here and are signalling to the other sides that not a lot has changed from last season. Everyone who has played has once again fitted into their roles superbly, and Duffy, who has made his IPL debut, bowled brilliantly in the first innings, which will give him the confidence going forward in the tournament. All the fans in the stadium will be waiting now for is Kohli getting to his half-century stay not out till the end. As we update Kohli gets to his half-century here.

Mar 28, 2026 10:49 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Score: Kishan's horror night with gloves

Tushar Bhaduri: If something encapsulated SRH's travails on the field, it was the horror night stand-in skipper had behind the stumps. As the RCB assault gained momentum, the pressure of the situation seemingly forced Ishan Kishan into two basic wicketkeeping errors. The first one could be excused as Jaydev Unadkat's high bouncer, which beat Devdutt Padikkal's swipe, became a leg-cutter as it approached Kishan on the second bounce. He was flat-footed and his poor body position didn't allow him to adjust and prevent the ball from going for four byes. The second was even worse as the ball didn't deviate sideways. Padikkal had missed a cut shot off a short Harshal Patel delivery, but what should have been a routine stop went between Kishan's legs as he failed to bend down properly. The improvement in Kishan's batting has been through the roof – exemplified by his 38-ball 80 earlier in the innings – but his twin errors behind the stumps resulted in SRH heads going down, and they never got up.

Mar 28, 2026 10:48 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Score: Royal Challengers Bengaluru 165/4 vs Sunrisers Hyderabad

Some relief here for SRH. David Payne has come back into the attack. He first picked up the wicket of Patidar, who tried to slam the ball through the cover, skied it in the air, and the catch was taken inside the ring. Jitesh Sharma, who walks into the middle, pulls the ball straight to the square-leg fielder. Something to smile about for SRH, but have those wickets come too little too late for them as RCB still has a good chunk of batting left to come. Tim David is the new man who has walked into the middle.

Mar 28, 2026 10:38 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Score: Royal Challengers Bengaluru 153/2 vs Sunrisers Hyderabad

RCB are cruising at the moment in this chase. Virat Kohli, we all know how good he is in the chase, and he is showing it yet again, and the batters at the other end, be it Padikkal initially or Patidar now, are just going after the bowling in a maniac fashion. It was a decent total by SRH but the pitch here in Bengaluru only tends to get better and compared to first innings this innings the batters have been able to hit the ball through the line and also SRH has been over-reliant on the slower ones rather than looking to hit the deck hard which is what gave results to RCB in the first innings.

Mar 28, 2026 10:30 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Score: Hold the pose

Vinayakk Mohanarangan: A straight six. After all the innovations that T20 cricket has witnessed over the last decade or so, there is nothing quite like a lofted drive down the ground that carries all the way. Virat Kohli produced one for the highlight reel in the 7th over, as he took on Eshan Malinga. It was in the slot alright, fully deserved to be hit for a six but Kohli chose to throw in some royal elegance into the mix. After shuffling towards the offside for an early trigger, once Kohli saw it was in his hitting arc, he unfurled a check drive. The ball couldn't have hit a sweeter spot in the bat and Kohli didn't even need to complete his full follow-through – just held his elbow high, the bat's maker's name in full view, and caressed the ball for an 86m six, and held the pose. Shot of a master.

Mar 28, 2026 10:29 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Score: Royal Challengers Bengaluru 125/2 vs Sunrisers Hyderabad

Devdutt Padikkal has fallen here after a brilliant 61. Harsh Dubey has bowled a fuller one, which Padikkal tried to go on the aerial route and ended up giving a simple catch to Klaasen on the boundary. Although the wicket has fallen, Padikkal has done the damage, and the batting seems pretty easy. Rajat Patidar is the new man in the house not going to waste any time either here in the middle he will go after the bowling right from ball one and SRH spinner Harsh Dubey will be targetted by him as well. They need someone to pick 2-3 wickets here do they SRH.

Mar 28, 2026 10:18 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Score: Royal Challengers Bengaluru 95/1 vs Sunrisers Hyderabad

This has been a pretty big problem for the SRH last season, and the one in which they performed well, too. Their bowling could not create enough inroads unless Pat Cummins took the new ball, and again, in the absence of Cummins here, it has been pretty tough for the bowlers to pick wickets. Although Unadkat managed to pick one, they could not keep piling on the pressure. Eshan Malinga has come into the attack after the powerplay and conceeded 13 runs and as we update Harshal Patel created an opportunity which Klaasen misjudged and dropped it eventually. As we update Padikkal gets 50.

Mar 28, 2026 10:08 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Score: Royal Challengers Bengaluru 76/1 vs Sunrisers Hyderabad

RCB is racing away here. Their bowlers, when they started, they did have some plan, but SRH seems to be going through the motions a bit here and is hoping RCB will make a mistake. However, the start which the hosts have here is a brutal reminder of how quickly runs need to be scored in this format of the game, especially in the IPL. Harsh Dubey the spinner has been brought into the attack here and he did start decently giving away nine runs to start with SRH need to find a way of slowing down Padikkal here.

Mar 28, 2026 09:58 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Score: Royal Challengers Bengaluru 51/1 vs Sunrisers Hyderabad

Since the wicket, RCB have been batting quite well here in the middle. David Payne has come into the attack, and his first couple of balls went for a boundary. Devdutt Padikkal has started superbly here. He is striking over 250, and his innings here in the powerplay might give Kohli a bit of time to get into his innings. We all have seen over the years what he could do batting in the chases if someone takes the intiative. Once again as we have said earlier bowling is the weaker leg of SRH side here and it will be tested completely today at this venue.

Mar 28, 2026 09:48 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Score: Royal Challengers Bengaluru 16/1 vs Sunrisers Hyderabad

Nitish Kumar Reddy has taken the new ball for Hyderabad here, and he has conceded a couple of boundaries to start with as we update Salt has fallen here and Jaydev Unadkat is the wicket-tacker and it is a slower delivery dug into the surface which Salt tried to hit through the extra cover and the ball went high in the air and was taken by Klaasen who almost collided with the fielder there. SRH has got their early breakthrough here. Padikkal has walked in, and Unadkat drifted one onto the pads, and that is slammed for a six.

Mar 28, 2026 09:40 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Score: Aniket Varma during his innings break

It’s a very good wicket. I’m happy that the team total crossed 200, and hopefully we can defend it. From the very first shot, I had a feeling that today might be my day. It was the last ball, so I was just trying to tap it for a single. I got a bit overexcited, but I was going for a single on that last ball. We saw with the new ball, it was swinging and skidding nicely, so that will help our team. According to the field, the bowler had a wide deep point, so I felt he would bowl wide outside off, hence I decided to play that scoop shot.

Mar 28, 2026 09:29 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Score: Sunrisers Hyderabad 201/9 vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru

Well, 200 is what SRH could get in the end. They had a brilliant innings from Ishan Kishan up at the top, followed by a couple of nice cameos from Klaasen and Aniket, and given they were three down in the powerplay, it is a very good recovery, but will it be enough? We have to see. Bowling is the weaker side of the SRH side, and this will be a test for them, given it is a flat track and RCB has a pretty long batting lineup. Ishan Kishan's captaincy too will be on the radar. Do join us shortly after the break with the run chase.

Mar 28, 2026 09:26 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Score: Super catch

Mar 28, 2026 09:19 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Score: Salt sprinkles magic

Vinayakk Mohanarangan: RCB have had some gun fielders in their ranks over the years and Phil Salt can comfortably join that elite list now after taking a stunning catch to dismiss the red-hot Ishan Kishan. In what will be a clear-cut contender for catch of the season even on the first night of the season, Salt sprinkled some magic dust onto the proceedings at Chinnaswamy Stadium in the 16th over. The wicket will belong to Abhinandan Singh, his first in IPL, but really it was all down to the Englishman. He ran to the right at deep backward point, flung himself to his right, put out his right hand, and completed a one-handed stunner. One of the replays showed a ball-kid sitting beyond the boundary rope put his hands on the top of his head and the jaws were wide open in amazement. Jitesh Sharma, the RCB wicketkeeper, had a similar reaction too.

Mar 28, 2026 09:18 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Score: Sunrisers Hyderabad are 192/8 vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru after 18.4 overs

SRH have fallen apart here in the last few overs. One of the signs of a top team or the team which might end up in the top 2-3, come at the end of the May, is how teams operate in the final overs, and RCB today have been quite brilliant. There have been some stunning catches along the way, but also some clever deliveries into the surface, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who is a master at bowling in this phase, dug one into the surface after bowling a slower one to Harshal Patel he got undone by it and skied which was taken. Meanwhile Aniket Varma in the middle is hitting some lusty blows.

Mar 28, 2026 09:11 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Score: Duffy, the SRH slayer

Nihal Koshie: With the safe-as-a-bank Josh Hazlewood out injured, defending champions RCB had to find someone to fill his big bowling shoes. A master of line and length, the tall Australian scalped 22 wickets in RCB's title-winning campaign. And signs are that RCB seemed to have picked the right replacement in Jacob Duffy. The tall New Zealander had a dream start, taking three wickets, including gun batsmen Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head in the same over. Abhishek paid the price for trying to force a pull shot to a ball he should have hit through the off-side. The pull shot has been the India opener's weakness but he couldn't resist even though the ball didn't bounce enough for a clean hit. Travis Head, another left-hander, will rue hitting the ball to Phil Salt positioned at deep square leg. Duffy's delivery into the wicket didn't come onto the bat as quickly as Head thought it would, Salt took a fine outfield catch. Nitish Kumar Reddy also tried to play the pull shot but mistimed it and was caught. Four overs done in one spell, Duffy was subbed out and in walked Devdutt Padikkal as the impact player. Talk about making a good first impression in the quickest time on IPL debut.

Mar 28, 2026 09:10 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Score: The juggle act

Sandip G: Had the breeze at the Chinnaswamy stadium blew stronger or his fabric been thicker, Phil Salt’s jersey would have brushed the boundary cushion. No more than millimetres separated him and the ropes when he juggled a catch of Heinrich Klaasen. The SRH batsman had sledgehammered Romario Shepherd’s off-cutter towards midwicket, the shorter side of the stadium. Salt sprinted a few yards sideways to get under the ball, but he was dangerously close to the ropes. He hunkered down to devour it, but it bounced off his palms. In the balancing act he slipped, flipped and found himself on his back, like a yoga practitioner. The third umpire’s verdict was sought. He wanted an aerial view of the backside. He didn’t get one. But with the replays at his disposal, he had little conclusive evidence that some part of his body or cloth had touched the ropes. The on-screen telly flashed out and the crowd. Klaasen was shocked and walked off shaking his head. Salt and pals were ecstatic.

Mar 28, 2026 09:08 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Score: Sunrisers Hyderabad are 167/7 vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru after 17 overs

Ishan Kishan is the last batter to fall here. It was in the arc of Ishan Kishan when he tried to scoop the ball through the offside, and Phil Salt, who had no business taking that catch, ran a long away dived, and got hold of it. It does seem like we already have the catch of the tournament. Kishan has played brilliant innings, but it seems like he got out at the wrong time because of what has happened at the other end. Batters around him could not do much. As we update Harsh Dubey has fallen here he tried flick one on the leg-side and was caught on the boundary.

Mar 28, 2026 08:57 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Score: Sunrisers Hyderabad are 148/5 vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru after 15.2 overs

Salil Arora was the latest batter to fall after Klaasen. The batter flicked the ball with his wrist and found the mid-wicket fielder. It was a short stay for the youngster, who has been rated pretty highly by the Hyderabad side here. After a good period, RCB has had their say in the last few overs. It has been that kind of game so far, where one team has dominated for a period, and the other has come back in. After that big partnership between Klaasen and Kishan SRH have gotten themselves into a position where they have to reassess what a realistic score they can get from here on.

Mar 28, 2026 08:47 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Score: Sunrisers Hyderabad are 135/4 vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru after 14 overs

Well, we have had a decision which could create a bit of a talking point post-game here. Klaasen whacked one through mid-wicket, it was not the middle, but it did carry quite a bit, given the smaller dimensions of this stadium. Salt did give a lovely attempt, and it was under question if he did touch the rope or not, but the third umpire concluded that there was no movement in the cushion, and it is a wicket. Salil Arora is the new man in for SRH. He is rated pretty highly and the batter need to show what he is made up of here.

Mar 28, 2026 08:38 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Score: Sunrisers Hyderabad are 120/3 vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru after 12.5 overs

Ishan Kishan has slammed a half-century here. RCB bowlers have fallen into this classic trap of trying to tuck in Kishan by bowling the deliveries into him. While most lefties would not have an answer for that, Kishan will thump the ball into the square-leg boundary. While they have got things right in the initial phase, RCB are losing a bit of grip in this game. Having said that it is a brilliant wicket to bat on now that SRH have come back into the game they should try and find a way to get 220 here which will give them a chance. Mind you RCB themselves have a top notch batting line-up.

Mar 28, 2026 08:28 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Score: Sunrisers Hyderabad are 88/3 vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru after 10.2 overs

We are done with the strategic time-out here, and RCB started well, but SRH eventually clawed their way back into the game. Both Ishan Kishan and Henrich Klassen are quite brutal players, and now they have got their eyes in. And RCB has turned to their first spin over which is, Suyash Sharma. It will be interesting to see how they go on this surface. The wicket generally has been brilliant to bat today there has not been a lot of swing and seam moment fot the seamers but as we said it is the planning that did the trick for RCB but now SRH are back in it and RCB have to show their other cards.

Mar 28, 2026 08:18 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Score: Sunrisers Hyderabad are 72/3 vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru after 8.2 overs

Well, not long ago, SRH were looking in trouble, and within no time, both Klaasen and Kishan had put on a decent partnership, blasting the ball all around the ground. That is the fickle nature of the T20 cricket, especially in IPL, since the scoring rates have risen rapidly in the last few seasons. Now that Duffy's overs are done, it will be interesting to see how Patidar will use his resources from here on because he has to use three overs of Abinanandan, who is a debutant and took a bit of pasting in the final over of the powerplay.

Mar 28, 2026 08:08 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Score: Sunrisers Hyderabad are 51/3 vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru after 6.2 overs

It was a good opportunity for Nitish to score some runs and kick off the tournament well, but not to be so. It will be a very important season for him, not just as a player representing SRH but also for his Indian aspirations. Usually, the wicket here in Chinnaswammy tends to move a lot, but today it did not do as much. The planning from RCB has been quite top-notch. Well, well, Duffy has come back into the attack to bowl his fourth over of the innings which is not something we often seen in the T20 cricket everything Patidar has touched turned to gold here.

Mar 28, 2026 07:59 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Score: Sunrisers Hyderabad are 29/3 vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru after 4.3 overs

Nitish Kumar Reddy has walked into the middle. Last season, he was a bit up and down. Did Nitish bat at four? This was the precise role given to him at this number. It will be interesting to see how much improvement he has brought into the game in the year gone by. Duffy is bowling his third over of the innings in a row. He picked up two wickets and stuck to the plan of pitching the ball short. As we update, short ball did the trick again here. Duffy bowled another shot one, and Nitish Kumar Reddy tried to pull a short ball, skied it, and was taken. SRH has lost three wickets in this game.

Mar 28, 2026 07:52 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Score: Sunrisers Hyderabad are 23/2 vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru after 3.1 overs

Well, Jacob Duffy has got the wicket to start with. It was a strategy from Sunrisers Hyderabad to pitch the ball short, and Abhishek Sharma tried to pull the ball, and it hit high on the bat and went up in the air. Jitesh Sharma has picked up the catch. It is a good start for RCB; they have bowled some planned lengths here by bowling into the body of Abhishek, which has worked to keep him quiet and eventually get his wicket. As we update, Duffy has picked up Travis Head. It is the shorter ball again which did the damage.

Mar 28, 2026 07:42 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Score: Sunrisers Hyderabad are 10/0 vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru after 1.3 overs

We are done with the opening over, Jacob Duffy has taken the new ball and thrown one wide outside the off-stump, which inevitably Abhishek Sharma managed to hit for six over point. He has had a tough time. Duffy in India, coming into the tournament, he has played some brilliant games for the Kiwis, but he was found wanting on the flat Indian wickets. Bhuvenshwar Kumar has taken the new ball from the other end. In the absence of Josh Hazlewood, Bhuvenshwar has to play the lead bowler role like he has done many times before at the IPL level.

Mar 28, 2026 07:29 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Score: Let's go!

We are underway in the 18th season, about to kick off in a few minutes. One of the powerful batting line-ups in the league will start the proceedings, and they have a chance to make a mockery of the bowlers on this opening night. Players are set up for national anthems, and the action will be right underway

Mar 28, 2026 07:26 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Score: Pitch report by Kevin Pietersen and Danny Morrison:

65 meters on one side, 64 on the other. 73 meters down the ground. Weather conditions are good. Set for a lovely, lovely, lovely batting display. The surface has got a beautiful covering of grass. Yes there are a few of bare patches. Do I think they will make too much of an impact - I'm not so sure. You see the size of these players, the muscles of these players, the sizes of their bats - these boundaries aren't big enough. You walk out to bat on a wicket like this, you stand, take guard and you say to yourself - runs. Having said that, win the toss, chase.

Mar 28, 2026 07:19 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Score: Rajat Patidar at toss

We'll bowl first. Of course, there are a lot of positives from last year, but as we go into this season, we are not defending, we’ll try to be champions again in 2026. I think there are a lot of good players in the side and we have proper backups for every position. There’s a good support system and medical team as well. So yeah, everyone is fit and looking forward to this game. Thank you so much for supporting us over the years. We’ll try our best to put a second star on our jersey. There are two new faces - Jacob Duffy and Abhinandan Singh who are going to play their first match.

Mar 28, 2026 07:16 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Score: Ishan Kishan at the toss

Feeling good because it’s our first game. We would have bowled first after winning the toss, but it looks like a fresh wicket. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter whether you’re batting first or bowling first, you just need to back your instincts. That will be the plan. Just trying to keep things simple. You don’t have to start doing something new just because it’s the IPL. The plans are clear with all the players, and we’ll just look to execute them well. Pat (Cummins) is one of the best bowlers in the team and in the IPL as well. Missing him makes a big difference. But I think everyone is in good touch, and it’s just about executing our plans. If we do that, we’ll be on the winning side. I think Salil (Arora) is one to watch. He’s been in very good touch, and I just want him to keep things simple, watch the ball and play his game.

Mar 28, 2026 07:13 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Score: Impact subs

Sunrisers Hyderabad Impact subs: Shivang Kumar, Liam Livingstone, David Payne, Smaran Ravichandran, Sakib Hussain

Royal Challengers Bengaluru Impact subs: Devdutt Padikkal, Jacob Bethell, Rasikh Salam Dar, Kanishk Chouhan, Venkatesh Iyer

Mar 28, 2026 07:08 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Score: RCB playing XI

Virat Kohli, Philip Salt, Rajat Patidar(c), Jitesh Sharma(w), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Abhinandan Singh, Jacob Duffy, Suyash Sharma

Mar 28, 2026 07:07 PM IST
IPL 2026 RCB vs SRH Live Score Updates: SRH playing XI

Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan(w/c), Heinrich Klaasen, Aniket Verma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Salil Arora, Harsh Dubey, Harshal Patel, Jaydev Unadkat, Eshan Malinga

Mar 28, 2026 06:56 PM IST
IPL 2026 RCB vs SRH Live Score Updates: Travis Head ahead of game

No pressure (when reminded of his hundred at this venue in 2024). It’s nice to have good memories. Great to be starting the season here, it comes with expectations and excitement. Good to be back. It feels like that sometimes, but it depends on the wicket, conditions, and form. It’s a new season - take it one ball at a time, settle in, and see where it goes. Not really. But it’s great to be back with him. He’s been winning World Cups and playing brilliantly. He’s come a long way, and I’m looking forward to opening with him again. A bit of both. Ishan is a great leader and knows the team’s style. Dan and Pat have been around too, so it feels like a settled squad. Everyone’s excited and in form - ready to go. (300 on the cards this season?) Let's wait and see.

Mar 28, 2026 06:46 PM IST
IPL 2026 RCB vs SRH Live Score Updates: How a boxer gave chakma to a red-hot Virat Kohli in 2016 IPL final to help Sunrisers Hyderabad pull off a heist

Years later, Barinder Sran could recall the biggest moment of his IPL career with a glee: The Virat Kohi wicket in the 2016 final in front of a loud Chinnaswamy Stadium crowd.

“Unko chakma dene ke liye slower ball dali thi! (I bowled a slower ball to deceive him!),” he recounts, laughing. (Read more from Tanishq Vaddi)

Mar 28, 2026 06:36 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Updates: In the face of squad challenges and stronger opposition, can Royal Challengers Bengaluru hold on to their long-awaited maiden title?

After 17 seasons of waiting, heartbreak, and near-misses, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) finally enter an Indian Premier League season as defending champions. For years, they were cast as the bridesmaid – the team with star power and expectations, but without a trophy to validate it. That narrative changed in 2025.

But with that comes a different kind of burden. IPL success does not offer comfort – it invites scrutiny. Every defending champion becomes the benchmark, the side everyone prepares for a little more intensely. And history suggests that staying at the top is significantly harder than getting there. (Read more from Shankar Narayan)

Mar 28, 2026 06:24 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Updates: SRH's poor season

SRH had pretty much realigned the idea of a big total in the 2024 season of the IPL but couldn't quite reach those heights last year, with their big hitting pedigree only seen occassionally. They finished sixth and missed out on a playoff spot, losing four of their last five league games. They will be looking to make amends with key openers Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma in good form. Ishan Kishan will also be looking to continue on the strong vein of form he has been in since the halfway mark last year in what will be his first match as captain of SRH.

Mar 28, 2026 06:17 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Updates: Head to head

Played: 25
RCB won: 11
SRH won: 13
No result: 1
Mar 28, 2026 06:08 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Updates: Andy Flower on impact sub rule

"I must say that one of the things I love about cricket is that when you select an 11, one of the challenges you have is balancing your 11 - the length of the batting order, balancing, perhaps, some guys that can't feel that well and it's one of the things that makes selection a little bit tricky. The impact player rule hides that selection problem a little, so I think one of the great things about cricket is some of the debates around selection and when you select single-skilled players, you weaken another area of your game, the impact player can hide that, so there are pros and cons I think to it," he added.

Mar 28, 2026 05:53 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Updates: Andy Flower on impact sub rule

"I think it has been a good innovation, it's interesting to be part of it. You're making decisions on the impact player, and I think it's interesting for the audience to debate what's right and what's wrong, so tactically it's quite an interesting addition to the game," Flower said on the eve of IPL's 2026 season-opener against Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Mar 28, 2026 05:45 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Updates: Dan Vettori on SRH skipper Pat Cummins

"His fitness has been exceptional because he's been out of the game for an extended period of time, so, he's had that time to work on that fitness, a real block of work around strength and conditioning. The only challenge for him was the bowling loads. So once he got the all clear from Cricket Australia to build those bowling loads, it's obviously a bit of a painstaking process to get the lungs up to where he feels confident and strong about bowling. Hopefully, we can get a definitive timeline, probably in the next 10-12 days around when he can return to play," he said.

Mar 28, 2026 05:41 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Updates: Dan Vettori lauds SRH skipper Ishan Kishan

"I think he started last year where he was added a senior player to the group and the leadership that he exuded throughout that first season, particularly in the back half when he took over the wicketkeeping, it really brought energy to the group and set up our back half of the year and we were pretty successful in that period. So when Pat (Cummins) was unfortunately out of the initial stage of the tournament, we had some decisions to make and his (Kishan's) experience with his state team in particular had been so impressive and then he was in really good form. So, between Abhishek and himself, we feel like we've got a really good leadership group to lead us this year," Vettori said.

Mar 28, 2026 05:25 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Updates: Dan Vettori lauds SRH skipper Ishan Kishan

"I think Ishan's been around in the IPL for a long period of time now. He's been with a number of teams and he's been highly successful, so, he brings in his own confidence around that. The fact that he's led the U19s and his state team and they won the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy this year brings a confident person, a confident player and a really confident leader and those are the attributes that we really looked at when he was appointed. His combination with Abhishek, they're good friends, they know the team exceptionally well and I really feel like those two will lead from the front this season," Vettori said in the pre-match press meet on Friday.

Mar 28, 2026 05:16 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Updates: How will weather play?

According to the Accuweather app, the temperature for Saturday will be 30 degrees centigrade in the morning and the conditions are expected to be hazy. The temperature rises to 34 degrees later in the afternoon and then plummets to 25 degrees in the evening with conditions expected to be clear by the time the match begins. There’s no chance of rain.

Mar 28, 2026 05:05 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Updates: How will pitch in Bengaluru play?

The playing surface of the M Chinnaswamy Stadium has been known to provide a good batting track for the batters due to its short boundaries with the balls coming nicely to the bat. It also plays well for the pacers with seamers finding pretty decent bounce on the ground last year. The stadium normally has a par score of 200-210 so expect a run fest regardless of which side bats first due to both teams filled to the brim with big hitters.

Mar 28, 2026 04:55 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Updates: SRH predicted XI

Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (captain), Heinrich Klaasen (wicketkeeper), Aniket Verma, Liam Livingstone, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshal Patel, Harsh Dubey, Brydon Carse and Jaydev Unadkat.

Mar 28, 2026 04:45 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Updates: RCB predicted XI

Phil Salt, Virat Kohli, Venkatesh Iyer, Rajat Patidar, Jitesh Sharma, Krunal Pandya, Romario Shepherd, Tim David, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jacob Duffy, Suyash Sharma, Mangesh Yadav/Rasikh Dar

Mar 28, 2026 04:35 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Updates: Squads

Royal Challengers Bengaluru Squad: Virat Kohli, Philip Salt, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar(c), Tim David, Jitesh Sharma(w), Krunal Pandya, Romario Shepherd, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Suyash Sharma, Jacob Duffy, Josh Hazlewood, Rasikh Salam Dar, Venkatesh Iyer, Mangesh Yadav, Vihaan Malhotra, Vicky Ostwal, Abhinandan Singh, Jacob Bethell, Jordan Cox, Swapnil Singh, Kanishk Chouhan, Satvik Deswal

Sunrisers Hyderabad Squad: Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan(w/c), Liam Livingstone, Heinrich Klaasen, Aniket Verma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshal Patel, Jaydev Unadkat, Harsh Dubey, Eshan Malinga, Shivam Mavi, Smaran Ravichandran, Zeeshan Ansari, Salil Arora, Kamindu Mendis, Brydon Carse, David Payne, Praful Hinge, Sakib Hussain, Krains Fuletra, Amit Kumar, Onkar Tarmale, Shivang Kumar

Mar 28, 2026 04:20 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Updates: PSA from RCB

What happened during and after RCB's doomed victory parade at the end of last season is pretty well-documented and the franchise seems to have responded with a more conscious approach towards fan safety. Here is a public service announcement that they have made through their social media handles ahead of today's match. It is a thread of posts and so make sure to go to their handle and check them all out, it is important information. We can only post the first of those tweets here.

https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

Mar 28, 2026 04:18 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Updates: Who is Mangesh Yadav?

Ahead of the IPL 2026 season, RCB's Mangesh Yadav has been making the headlines as a prospective regular for the side in the pace department.

Born in the small village of Borgaon, Madhya Pradesh to a truck driver, Mangesh Yadav spent his early years travelling in unreserved train compartments to participate in local matches and often slept on platforms to save money. The left-arm seamer, who was acquired by RCB for Rs 5.2 crore, came in the limelight in the MP T20 League where playing for Gwalior Cheetahs, he took 14 wickets. From a life of financial uncertainty to becoming a multi-millionaire, the 23-year-old now carries the hopes of a village that once watched him bowl with borrowed shoes.

Read Shankar Narayan's piece on five youngsters, who battled the odds to arrive at the theatre of dreams, the IPL

Mar 28, 2026 03:56 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Updates: Why RCB players will wear black armbands today

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have announced a series of initiatives ahead of their first home game of IPL 2026 at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday, paying tribute to the 11 fans who lost their lives in the June 4 stampede last year.

As part of a tribute, RCB players will wear jersey number 11 during the warm-up session, while black armbands will be worn during the match against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Additionally, 11 seats inside the stadium will be deliberately left unoccupied as a mark of respect and remembrance.

Mar 28, 2026 03:48 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Updates: After record IPL deals involving RCB and RR, experts warn of 'investment bubble'

Analysts and sports business experts have warned of an 'investment bubble' after Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru were sold for a combined value of $3.41 billion on Tuesday.

Santosh N, managing partner at D&P Advisory, said it was 'difficult to understand' the valuations of the two teams — averaging $1.7 billion — especially since the Torrent Group 'acquired Gujarat Titans at a value less than a billion dollars'.

As Santosh noted, IPL team revenues run between 'Rs 700 to 800 crores' per season. "Rs 500 crores comes from central pool revenue, which is the broadcast money. And each team has anywhere around Rs 200 to 300 crores of sponsorship, ticketing and merchandise revenue. So we are talking about a 700 to 800 crores sort of revenue, which is less than a hundred million dollars — and yet these teams are getting valued at around 1.7 billion dollars, which is almost 20x revenue," he said.

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Mar 28, 2026 03:34 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Updates: Why Americans are pouring money into IPL

Before the IPL 2026 season started came the big moves in the boardroom: Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru had found new owners.

The RCB franchise was reportedly sold for $1.78 billion (?166.6 billion) to a consortium led by the Aditya Birla Group, along with the Times of India Group, Bolt Ventures, and Blackstone.

As Mihir Vasavda writes, driving these soaring valuations is a clear common thread: American capital.

Rajasthan’s new ownership group includes US-based entrepreneur Kal Somani, Walmart heir Rob Walton — who also owns NFL franchise the Denver Broncos — and the Ham family, owners of the Detroit Lions.

RCB has been acquired by the Aditya Birla Group and the Times Group alongside US-based firms Bolt Ventures and Blackstone. Bolt Ventures is led by prominent sports investor David Blitzer, whose portfolio spans multiple leagues and continents — from the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers and the NHL’s New Jersey Devils to the Premier League’s Crystal Palace and MLS side Real Salt Lake.

So why are Americans interested in IPL teams? We explain

Mar 28, 2026 03:18 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Updates: A quick look at RCB squad for this season

RCB chose to retain 17 players from their IPL title-winning side. They released England all-rounder Liam Livingstone and South Africa fast bowler Lungi Ngidi, along with Manoj Bhandage, Mayank Agarwal, Mohit Rathee and Sachin Baby.

RCB squad: Rajat Patidar (captain), Virat Kohli, Tim David, Jacob Bethell, Romario Shepherd, Josh Hazlewood, Nuwan Thushara, Devdutt Padikkal, Jitesh Sharma, Krunal Pandya, Rasikh Dar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jordan Cox, Suyash Sharma, Venkatesh Iyer, Swapnil Singh, Jacob Duffy, Kanishk Chouhan, Abhinandan Singh, Mangesh Yadav, Phil Salt, Satvik Deswal, Vicky Ostwal, Vihaan Malhotra.

Mar 28, 2026 03:14 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Updates: When will RCB play at Chinnaswamy Stadium?

After last year's stampede while celebrating thier maiden IPL title, RCB will play just five home games at Bengaluru's Chinnaswamy Stadium, including today's game.

The other games and opponents are: Chennai Super Kings (April 5), Lucknow Super Giants (April 15), Delhi Capitals (April 18), and Gujarat Titans (April 24).

Mar 28, 2026 03:03 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Updates: The importance of Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli was the centrepiece of Royal Challengers Bengaluru winning the IPL 2025 title last time around. He top scored for the franchise in IPL 2025 with 657 runs in 15 matches at a strike rate of 144.71 with eight half-centuries.

As SRH captain, who will be MIA for today’s game, pointed out in a podcast conversation recently: “Virat Kohli seemed to play a bit more aggressively last season and probably scored more runs because of it.”

Mar 28, 2026 02:51 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Updates: A quick look at Sunrisers Hyderabad squad for this season

SRH are without captain Pat Cummins at the start of the season, so Ishan Kishan is at the helm. SRH also let go of players like Mohd Shami, Adam Zampa and Rahul Chahar.

SRH full squad: Pat Cummins(C), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Travis Head, Heinrich Klaasen, Aniket Verma, Smaran Ravichandran, Salil Arora, Harshal Patel, Kamindu Mendis, Harsh Dubey, Brydon Carse, Shivang Kumar, Krainis Fuletra, Liam Livingstone, Jack Edwards, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Zeeshan Ansari, Jaydev Unadkat, Eshan Malinga, Sakib Hussain, Onkar Tarmale, Amit Kumar, Praful Hinge, Shivam Mavi.

Mar 28, 2026 02:43 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Updates: On Ishan Kishan, the interim captain of SRH

While Pat Cummins races to get fighting fit, the Sunrisers Hyderabad have installed Ishan Kishan as the stand-in captain. As Devendra Pandey writes, 'It is borrowed time. But borrowed time has a way of revealing character.'

With tales from his stint as captain of the Jharkhand cricket team--Kishan took over Jharkhand’s captaincy earlier this year--we try to piece together what SRH can expect from Ishan Kishan, the captain.

Those who have watched Kishan closely over the last two years describe a man most people haven’t seen.

As Sunny Gupta, assistant coach of Jharkhand, recounted: “People perceive him as a laughing boy but he is different when it comes to planning,” Gupta says. “He will sit studying opponents — mapping each player, watching endless video — before concluding his meeting. Sometimes two hours before he’s done.”

The laughing face is real. So is the two-hour meeting.

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Mar 28, 2026 02:30 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Updates: The story behind Abhishek Sharma's nickname 'puli'

Over the last few years, the Punjabi munda Abhishek Sharma has become a Hyderabadi boy, thanks to those smashing starts he's given to the franchise at the top of the order. Along the way, he's also earned a nickname: 'puli'. It has a ring to it, like 'thala' for MS Dhoni, or 'chetta' for Sanju Samson.

Puli means tiger in Telugu.

In local parlance, puli is referred to anyone who is daring, or shows courage. Hyderabad, of course, is the (cricketing) home of Indian cricket’s real 'tiger', the inimitable Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi.

The genesis of the nickname is uncertain (and most likely a marketing trick), but SRH has been going overdrive in drilling the name.

Here's a bit more on Abhishek 'Puli' Sharma's nickname

Mar 28, 2026 02:17 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Updates: So SRH have an issue in their bowling attack?

Sunrisers Hyderabad have a formidable batting attack loaded with the likes of Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Heinrich Klaasen and Ishan Kishan. But their bowling attack without skipper Pat Cummins and released Mohd Shami will be a point of concern.

As former India cricketer Aakash Chopra pointed out on his YouTube channel: "How they manage the bowling will be a challenge because if they score 250, they might concede 250. Their bowling looks like that. Unfortunately, that much might is not being seen in their bowling.”

He added: "There will be challenges because the SRH bowling has been dealt a serious blow. Pat Cummins was already not there. So the bowling was already slightly weak, and if Eshan Malinga is also not there, it means you will have to play Brydon Carse, or else you won’t be able to play with Indian bowling. When I see their bowling, it has Amit Kumar, Praful Hinge, Sakib Hussain, Omkar Tarmale, Jaydev Unadkat, Zeeshan Ansari, Harshal Patel, Shivam Mavi, Shivang Kumar and Harsh Dubey, but the bowling is weak. How they manage the bowling will be a challenge because if they score 250, they might concede 250. Their bowling looks like that. Unfortunately, that much might is not being seen in their bowling.”

Mar 28, 2026 02:10 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Updates: Can SRH summit Mount 300?

Last season, SRH breached the 250-run mark twice, in their first game of the season (vs Rajasthan) and in their final match (vs Delhi Daredevils). That game against RR saw them smash 286 in their 20 overs. Can they summit Mount 300 this time around?

Mar 28, 2026 02:01 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Updates: Did you know?

Sunrisers ended IPL 2025 as the only team, who finished with a run rate of over ten per over. But SRH also had the third-worst economy rate of 9.9, behind Lucknow Super Giants and Rajasthan Royals.

(Stats via ESPNCricinfo)

Mar 28, 2026 01:53 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Updates: What were SRH thinking?

One of the curiosities of the IPL auction before IPL 2026 was SRH pouring Rs 13 crore on Liam Livingstone. This was just over half of the budget they had in the IPL auction. What made the decision curious was that the England allrounder has been out of the national team's T20 plans for a year now. He has also not played important roles in T20 leagues since the Vitality Blast in September 2025.

With players like Heinrich Klassen, Travis Head and Pat Cummins, SRH more or less knew which foreign players they would want in the playing XIs. So how much game time will Livingstone get once Cummins comes back to playing status?

Mar 28, 2026 01:40 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Updates: Virat Kohli to bowl?

Virat Kohli finally ended an 18-year wait for his maiden IPL title last year. The India great batted with a renewed purpose in IPL 2025.

After the heroics of IPL 2025, will we see Kohli doing something different this year? Like turning his arm over to bowl a few during the game?

Why not?

Kohli’s been bowling in the nets for sure, recently throwing down balls at his opening partner Phil Salt.

A report on the RCB website said that Kohli even tried to bounce out Salt, but the opener just ducked one and pulled the other!

Mar 28, 2026 01:33 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Updates: Pat Cummins on SRH's batting

Speaking on the Business of Sport podcast recently, Pat Cummins pointed out that SRH's batting was not constructed for consistency, but shock and awe.

“It’s very deliberate. We’ve deliberately set up the team to be super aggressive. We’re not aiming to be consistent; we’re aiming to blow other teams out of the water, hopefully in more games than not.”

Cummins pointed out how that evolution had come about.

“When T20 cricket first started, everyone looked to Test cricket as a model, treating it like a faster version of that format. You still wanted your batters to bat through the innings, taking their first 10 or 20 balls to build an innings that way. I don’t think that really makes sense in T20 cricket anymore. In fact, I think in some Test matches it doesn’t even make sense, which seemed to be a lot of the conversation around the Ashes series this summer,” Cummins said.

“We are pretty deliberate in that we bat very deep. There is a change of rule as well—we essentially get an extra batter nowadays. Pitches are very good, and I think players, particularly the young guys, are just learning just how good they are; they surprise themselves. Even someone like Virat Kohli seemed to play a bit more aggressively last season and probably scored more runs because of it. It seems to be a format where the more aggressive you are, the more things seem to fall in your favor. We really lean into that style. It’s also a lot more fun to just let them loose.”

Mar 28, 2026 01:32 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Updates: Tension between Test and franchise T20 cricket

In the Business of Sport podcast recently, Australia and SRH star Pat Cummins opened up about the existing issues between playing Tests for Australia and leagues like The Hundred.

"Some of our guys are saying no to a half a million pounds for 20 days' work (at The Hundred) to go and play those two Test matches against Bangladesh," Cummins told the Business of Sport podcast.

"It's at a tension point. It has been for a while, but I think it's only growing.

"Something we speak about is how do we make sure we've got our best Australian guys to choose from when we're picking a Test side or an ODI side, because there is so much demand for them elsewhere."

Mar 28, 2026 01:31 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Updates: AB de Villiers believes that RCB can win two or three trophies in a row

Cricket legend AB de Villiers believes his old team Royal Challengers Bengaluru can use the IPL 2025 title as a launchpad for winning multiple titles in a row.

"I feel RCB are in that zone now where they can go bang, bang, bang - perhaps two or three trophies in a row. Who knows? I am just hoping for a really strong start this season; that will be crucial for them. My advice to Virat would be to just go out there and enjoy,” de Villiers said on JioStar

Mar 28, 2026 01:31 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Updates: Will RCB send out Jacob Duffy?

With pace spearhead Josh Hazlewood out injured at least for the initial phase of the IPL 2026, RCB picked up New Zealand pacer Duffy for his base price of Rs 2 crore.

In an illuminating video by RCB discussing their strategy ahead of the auctions, it became apparent that the conversation in the think tank was whether to replace Josh Hazlewood if he wasn't available, or to have two bowlers sharing the workload.

It was coach Andy Flower and RCB’s Director of Cricket Mo Bobat who decided that RCB should pursue at least two bowlers who could share Hazlewood's workload if he were unavailable.

During the discussion, RCB captain Rajat Patidar pointed out how he had played against Duffy in the past. Patidar spoke highly of Duffy's outswinging balls to right-handers. Flower too was keen on adding someone with Duffy’s height to the pace mix due to his high delivery point.

Mar 28, 2026 01:30 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Updates: What to expect in today’s game?

Runs, plenty of them. Because of three reasons:

The Chinnaswamy Stadium’s notoriously short boundaries

The Sunrisers Hyderabad batting line-up that comes loaded with players like Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Heinrich Klaasen and Ishan Kishan

Both teams don’t have pace spearheads available, with SRH captain Pat Cummins and RCB’s Josh Hazlewood out injured.

Mar 28, 2026 01:30 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Updates: No opening ceremony today

Reports indicate that there will be no opening ceremony at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. It’s because of the tragic stampede in Bengaluru during last year’s victory celebrations for RCB’s maiden title.

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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