Under the leadership of Ishan Kishan, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) faced Rajat Patidar-led Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the first match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026.
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) played an away match against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday, March 28.
Sunrisers Hyderabad scored 201/9 on the board
In the match, the visiting team lost the toss and were invited to bat first. Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) handed Salil Arora a debut cap while wicketkeeper-batsman Heinrich Klaasen played his 50th IPL match.
The expectation was that the explosive opening duo of Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma – better known as Travishack – would set the stage on fire, but that was not to be the case.
Abhishek Sharma, who was struggling with form, could score only 7 runs while his opening partner was out after scoring 11 runs. Young all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, who was sent in at number four, disappointed everyone as he scored just one run.
Meanwhile, captain Ishan Kishan led from the front and scored 80 runs off 38 balls with the help of 8 fours and 5 sixes and he got good support from Heinrich Klaasen, who scored 31 runs off 22 balls.
In the end, Aniket Verma scored 43 runs in 18 balls with the help of three fours and four sixes, taking SRH to 201/9.
Defending the target, SRH’s bowling unit, which included Ishan Malinga, Harsh Dubey, David Payne, Jaydev Unadkat, Harshal Patel and Nitish Kumar Reddy, looked completely clueless against the RCB batsmen.
He was clean bowled by the Royal Challengers Bangalore batsmen and the match ended in no time with SRH losing by 6 wickets with 26 balls remaining.
I really enjoyed it – Ishan Kishan
During the post-match conversation, Sunrisers Hyderabad captain Ishan Kishan said that the pitch was playing better after the first few overs and urged his bowlers to improve. He said:
“[Thoughts at halfway mark] The wicket played well after the first few overs. We lost early wickets and we have to be careful about that. The wicket got better in the second innings and we have to be a little smarter in shot selection. [On his bowlers] You have to give credit to the batsmen. Especially, Virat Bhai. It is very important to get his wicket quickly. We have to work hard and these mistakes are acceptable in the first game but we need to be cautious.”
When Ishan Kishan was asked about his captaincy, he said that he enjoyed it a lot. He said:
“[On captaincy] I really enjoyed it a lot. But yes, it is IPL. Sometimes, there are nerves. If we win the upcoming matches then it will be good for us to move ahead in the tournament.”
No words for him – Rajat Patidar on Virat Kohli
During the post-match presentation ceremony, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) captain Rajat Patidar said that he was impressed with the way his team played. He said:
“100%! The way the boys played. First of all, it was the beginning of the season. Yes, the way Duffy bowled. He was playing his first game. Abhinandan was also playing his first game. Duffy took the wickets of Abhishek and Head.
When asked about Virat Kohli finishing the match once again, Rajat Patidar said that he has no words to define the greatness of the chasemaster. Rajat Patidar said:
“No words for him (when asked about Virat Kohli). The way, every time he goes in and chases. He is the number one batsman. He was there till the end. It was a brilliant catch by Phil Salt. He is a very good fielder. I have seen him take such catches. He is an amazing fielder. I was trying to make as much impact as possible with the bat. The look is always there.”
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