IPL 2026: RCB vs SRH Highlights, Match 1 - Stats, Player of the Match & More

Match Overview

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) kicked off IPL 2026 at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday, March 28. RCB captain Rajat Patidar won the toss and elected to bowl first.

IPL debutant Jacob Duffy proved his captain's decision right as the Kiwi dealt SRH a triple blow in his back-to-back four-over spell. The dangerous duo of Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma were sent packing in the third over by Duffy followed by Nitish Reddy who was caught by the midwicket fielder in the fifth over. The visitors were reeling at 29/3 as Heinrich Klaasen joined captain Ishan Kishan in the middle.

The pair rebuilt the innings with Kishan taking the initiative as other RCB bowlers seemed ineffective in the middle overs. The partnership kept on flourishing as Kishan reached his fifty in 27 balls while Klaasen played second fiddle. The home team was desperate to find a breakthrough as the run rate climbed to almost 10 an over. Ultimately, the 97-run partnership came to an end with the South African's wicket courtesy an outstanding but controversial catch on the boundary line by Phil Salt.

The SRH innings which had gained an advantage started to lose steam gradually. Three overs later, Kishan was sent back to the pavilion too, with the man of the moment Salt grabbing a one-handed stunner this time in the deep. Notably, the Jharkhand boy's 80 off 38 balls was a much-needed innings in the context of the game. Meanwhile, a late onslaught from Aniket Verma helped SRH to cross the 200-run mark and finish at 201/9.

RCB suffered an early blow as Salt became Unadkat's victim in the second over. However, it was all RCB after that as Virat Kohli and Impact Sub Devdutt Padikkal counterattacked. The southpaw, in particular, was the aggressor-in-chief as SRH bowlers looked toothless. RCB ended the powerplay at a massive 76/1 and kept going in the same vein.

Padikkal reached his half century in 21 balls, his 12th in the IPL. The duo had the measure of the visitors as the game appeared to have slipped away from their hands completely. Just when it looked like there was no coming back for SRH, Harsh Dubey struck to send back the dangerous Padikkal for an impressive 61(26). But the joy was short-lived as Kohli and Patidar now formed a substantial partnership of 53 runs before the skipper became David Payne's first victim. Jitesh Sharma was out off the very next ball as a ray of hope emerged for the Hyderabadis.

But, no miracle was bound to happen as Kohli who reached his 64th IPL fifty helped RCB complete the victory along with Tim David in record time. The Men in Red romped home by six wickets and 26 balls remaining. Notably, it was the fastest 200+ run chase ever in the league history and the RCB's third highest successful one.

Top run-scorer of the match

Top wicket-taker of the match