The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 kicked off with a thunderous roar on the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday (March 28) as Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) delivered an announcement victory in opposition to Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). In a high-octane season opener, RCB chased down a formidable goal of 202 with scientific precision, successful by 6 wickets with a staggering 26 balls to spare. The night time belonged to the ‘King’ and the ‘Prodigal Son,’ as Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal turned a stiff chase right into a stroll within the park, sending the house followers right into a frenzy.
Jacob Duffy’s early destruction and Ishan Kishan’s valiant counter within the first innings
Profitable the toss and electing to bowl, RCB immediatey put SRH on the again foot due to a sensational opening spell by Jacob Duffy. The New Zealand pacer dismantled the SRH prime order with surgical precision, eradicating the damaging Travis Head (11) and Abhishek Sharma (7) inside the first three overs. When Nitish Kumar Reddy fell shortly after, SRH have been reeling at 29/3, and a collapse appeared imminent.
Nonetheless, SRH captain Ishan Kishan staged a heroic rescue act. Enjoying a real captain’s knock, Kishan blasted 80 runs off simply 38 deliveries, peppered with 7 fours and three huge sixes. He discovered momentary assist in Heinrich Klaasen (31), because the duo stabilized the innings with a fast mid-over acceleration. Regardless of Kishan’s brilliance, RCB’s demise bowling remained disciplined. Romario Shepherd emerged because the wrecker-in-chief within the latter half, selecting up 3 wickets for 54 runs. SRH ultimately clawed their option to 201/9 in 20 overs, a complete that seemed aggressive on a historically batting-friendly Bengaluru floor.
Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal take RCB residence with their explosive knocks
The chase started with a minor hiccup as Phil Salt departed early for simply 8, however that solely set the stage for one of the crucial dominant partnerships in current IPL historical past. Kohli and Padikkal took the SRH bowling assault to the cleaners, exhibiting an ideal mix of traditional timing and brute drive.
Padikkal, returning to the colours the place he first rose to fame, was the first aggressor early on. He reached a blistering fifty in simply 21 balls, ultimately ending with 61 runs off 26 balls, together with 7 fours and 4 sixes. His departure at 110/2 didn’t gradual the momentum, as Kohli took over the mantle of the anchor-aggressor.
Kohli remained unbeaten on 69 off 38 balls, hanging at 181.57. His innings was a classic show of gap-finding and calculated risk-taking, punctuated by 5 towering sixes. Even a short double-strike by David Payne, which eliminated Rajat Patidar (31) and Jitesh Sharma (0) within the thirteenth over, couldn’t derail the practice. Kohli, alongside Tim David (16*), guided RCB previous the end line in simply 15.4 overs, ending at 203/4. This emphatic win not solely earned RCB two factors but additionally offered a large enhance to their Web Run Charge, marking an ideal begin to their 2026 marketing campaign.
Additionally WATCH: Jacob Duffy folds each SRH openers Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head in single over throughout IPL 2026 opener
Right here’s how followers reacted:
VIRAT KOHLI IN THE LAST 25 INNINGS IN IPL:
42(20), 18(7), 51(43), 70*(44), 42(27), 92(47), 27(13), 47(29), 33(24), 59*(36), 31(30), 7(6), 67(42), 22(14), 62*(45), 1(3), 73*(54), 70(42), 51(47), 62(33), 43(25), 54(30), 12(12), 43(35) & 69*(38)#kohli #RCBvsSRH #IPL #rcb pic.twitter.com/r6J1eURv3x
— 𝕶𝖔𝖍𝖑𝖎𝖛𝖊𝖗𝖘𝖊 (@kohliverse37917) March 28, 2026
Chasing? That’s his recreation. 😮💨🔥
4️⃣0️⃣0️⃣0️⃣* runs whereas chasing within the #TATAIPL. 🎯
A primary. THE normal. KING KOHLI. 👑
HISTORY CREATED BY KING KOHLI. 👑
– Virat Kohli turns into the primary batter within the IPL to attain 4,000 runs whereas chasing.#RCBvsSRH pic.twitter.com/UMBaHAIk7t
— Gunner (@VinayTweet07) March 28, 2026
RCB beat SRH by 6 wickets 😊#cricket #RCBvSRH #IPL2026 #CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/VDl8SrQfzZ
— CricketTimes.com (@CricketTimesHQ) March 28, 2026
DEVDUTT PADIKKAL ON FIRE! 🔥
21-ball fifty — pure destruction by the influence participant! 🤯💥#RCBvsSRH pic.twitter.com/YY3V3J5ENd
— Khan (@ccricket713) March 28, 2026
🚨 Stat watch 🚨
Devdutt Padikkal vs Sunrisers Hyderabad = lowest influence 👀
Strike charge: 101.29
Sixes: simply 2 😮💨SRH have stored him quiet greater than any workforce 💥
Time to interrupt the sample or wrestle continues? 🤔 #3rdManView #IPL2026 #RCBvSRH | @RCBTweets https://t.co/V48ov0gB50 pic.twitter.com/KkjVllVBNn
— Third Man View (@3rdManView) March 28, 2026
FIFTY FOR DEVDUTT PADIKKAL FROM JUST 21 BALLS 🥶
– Dev has been a unique beast in current instances, dominating in all codecs from IPL to Karnataka.#RCBvsSRH pic.twitter.com/yFU2mvGTbv
— Nafees (@Nafees_22) March 28, 2026
A STANDING OVATION FOR DEVDUTT PADIKKAL FROM CHINNASWAMY CROWD 👌 pic.twitter.com/hIpA1FCfaX
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) March 28, 2026
HISTORY CREATED BY KING KOHLI. 👑
– Virat Kohli turns into the primary batter within the IPL to attain 4,000 runs whereas chasing. pic.twitter.com/vAWisLGlg1
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) March 28, 2026
VIRAT KOHLI & DEVDUTT PADIKKAL COOKED SRH 🥶pic.twitter.com/KVdJEluM9Y
— Cricket Central (@CricketCentrl) March 28, 2026
Devdutt Padikkal in opposition to SRH at present pic.twitter.com/IGPpFo2MNO
— Aman_Chain 🏳️ (@Amanprabhat9) March 28, 2026
Virat Kohli is retired from check and T20, he isn’t enjoying usually worldwide cricket however he nonetheless holds that magical contact.
He’s nonetheless by far the very best batsman on the planet and this model appears to be like much more harmful.pic.twitter.com/fNE0l6cWnx
— Sujeet Suman (@sujeetsuman1991) March 28, 2026
Additionally READ: IPL 2026: Right here’s why RCB gamers are sporting black armbands in opposition to Sunrisers Hyderabad in at present’s match
