IPL 2026: Jacob Duffy Wins Player of the Match Award on Debut

Bengaluru

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) by six wickets in the opening match of the 19th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2026). Apart from impressive half-centuries by Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal, fast bowler Jacob Duffy played a key role in RCB’s victory. It was Duffy’s first IPL match, and he marked his debut with a brilliant performance to win the Player of the Match award.

Duffy picked up three wickets for just 22 runs in his four overs. He dismantled SRH’s top order by taking crucial wickets of Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, and Nitish Reddy, putting the opposition under early pressure.

Speaking after the match, Duffy said, “It feels great. I have heard many good things about Bengaluru and RCB. This is a fantastic way to start the campaign. I’m just keeping the seat warm for the big player (Hazlewood). We recognized that the new ball can have some impact in Bengaluru. We talk a lot about the conditions here and what works on this ground. This wicket is slightly different. I haven’t seen a pitch with this kind of bounce here in the last few months. As long as the ball is new and hard, it’s the best time to bowl.”

Earlier in the match, SRH scored 201 for 9 after being put in to bat, riding on Ishan Kishan’s 80 and Aniket Verma’s 43. In reply, RCB chased down the target comfortably, scoring 203 for 4 in just 15.4 overs, thanks to Virat Kohli’s unbeaten 69 off 38 balls and Devdutt Padikkal’s 61.

After the match, SRH captain Ishan Kishan and RCB captain Rajat Patidar both praised Kohli’s match-winning unbeaten knock of 69.

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