Under the leadership of Ishan Kishan, the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) went head-to-head with the Rajat Patidar-led Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the first match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026.
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) played the match away from home against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday, March 28.
Sunrisers Hyderabad posted 201/9 on the board
The visitors lost the toss and were invited to bat first in the match. Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) handed the debut cap to Salil Arora while wicketkeeper-batsman Heinrich Klaasen featured in his 50th IPL game.
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It was expected that the explosive opening pair of Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma – popularly known as Travishek – would set the stage on fire, but that didn’t happen.
Abhishek Sharma, who has been struggling with form, was able to score just 7 runs while his opening partner got out after scoring 11 runs. The young all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, who was promoted to No.4, disappointed everyone as he scored just one run.
Captain Ishan Kishan, meanwhile, led from the front and blasted 80 runs off 38 balls, with 8 fours and 5 sixes, and he got decent support from Heinrich Klaasen, who scored 31 runs off 22 balls.
In the end, Aniket Verma smashed 43 runs off 18 balls, with three fours and four sixes to power SRH to 201/9.
Defending the target, the SRH bowling unit, which consisted of Eshan Malinga, Harsh Dubey, David Payne, Jaydev Unadkat, Harshal Patel and Nitish Kumar Reddy, looked absolutely clueless against the RCB batters.
They were taken to cleaners by the Royal Challengers Bengaluru batters, and the match finished in no time with SRH suffering a 6-wicket defeat with 26 balls remaining.
I actually enjoyed a lot – Ishan Kishan
During the post-match interaction, Sunrisers Hyderabad skipper Ishan Kishan stated that the pitch played better after the first few overs and urged his bowlers to improve. He stated:
“[Thoughts at halfway mark] The wicket played well after first few overs. We lost early wickets and we have to be careful about it. The wicket got better in the second innings and we have to be a little smarter with the shot selection. [On his bowlers] You have to give credit to the batters. Especially, Virat bhai. It is very important to get his wicket early. We have to work harder and these mistakes are acceptable in the first game but we need to be cautious.”
When asked about his captaincy, Ishan Kishan said that he enjoyed it a lot. He stated:
“[On captaincy] I actually enjoyed a lot. But yeah, it is IPL. Sometimes, nerves are there. If we win the games coming ahead, it would be good for us going ahead in the tournament.”
No words for him – Rajat Patidar on Virat Kohli
During the post-match presentation ceremony, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) skipper Rajat Patidar said that he was mighty impressed with the way his team played. He said:
“100%! The way the boys played. First of all, it was the season opener. Yes, the way Duffy bowled. He was playing the first game. Abhinandan was also playing his first game. Duffy picked up the wickets of Abhishek and Head.
When asked about Virat Kohli once again finishing the match, Rajat Patidar said he doesn’t have words to define the greatness of the chasemaster. Rajat Patidar stated:
“No words for him (when asked about Virat Kohli). The way, every time he goes in and chases. He is the number one batter. He was there till the end. It was a terrific catch from Phil Salt. He is a very good fielder. I have seen him take such catches. He is an amazing fielder. I was trying to add as much impact with the bat as possible. The look is always there.”
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