Royal Challengers Bengaluru will face Sunrisers Hyderabad in the opening match of IPL 2026 at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday, March 28.
The defending champions begin their campaign against their South Indian rivals in what promises to be a high-intensity contest.
RCB enters the season as the favourites after winning their maiden IPL title last year. Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, and Jitesh Sharma lead their batting unit. Sunrisers Hyderabad counters with a strong lineup featuring Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Heinrich Klaasen, Nitish Reddy, and Liam Livingstone. Both teams aim to secure a decisive victory in their first outing.
The match starts at 7:30 PM IST, with the toss scheduled for 7:00 PM. Fans can watch the live broadcast on Star Sports Network. Online viewers can stream the match live on JioHotstar.
The clash between RCB and SRH sets the tone for IPL 2026, with Bengaluru eager to defend their crown and Hyderabad determined to spoil their opening night.
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026: Squads
RCB Squad: Rajat Patidar (c), Tim David, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Philip Salt, Jitesh Sharma, Jacob Bethell, Krunal Pandya, Romario Shepherd, Josh Hazlewood, Rasikh Salam Dar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Suyash Sharma, Swapnil Singh, Yash Dayal, Nuwan Thushara, Venkatesh Iyer, Jacob Duffy, Mangesh Yadav, Jordan Cox, Vihaan Malhotra, Kanishk Chouhan, Abhinandan Singh, Vicky Ostwal, Satvik Deswal
SRH Squad: Travis Head, Ishan Kishan, Heinrich Klaasen, Smaran Ravichandran, Abhishek Sharma, Harsh Dubey, Kamindu Mendis, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Pat Cummins (c), Eshan Malinga, Jaydev Unadkat, Harshal Patel, Salil Arora, Praful Hinge, Liam Livingstone, Shivam Mavi, Jack Edwards, Brydon Carse, Sakib Hussain, Zeeshan Ansari, Aniket Verma, Amit Kumar, Krains Fuletra
