IPL 2026: Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal Power RCB to Victory, SRH Lose by 6 Wickets

Bengaluru:

 

In the opening match of the 19th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2026), Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) by six wickets to begin their campaign in a spectacular fashion. Explosive half-centuries from Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal played a crucial role in RCB’s victory.

Chasing a challenging target of 202 runs at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, RCB comfortably achieved the total in 15.4 overs, scoring 203 for 4. Both Kohli and Padikkal delivered outstanding performances with the bat.

Coming in at number three as the impact player, Padikkal smashed a brilliant 61 runs off just 26 balls, hitting four sixes and seven fours. He also shared a crucial 101-run partnership for the second wicket with Kohli, which came off just 45 balls.

Kohli remained unbeaten on 69 runs from 38 balls, striking five sixes and five fours. Captain Rajat Patidar contributed a quickfire 31 runs off 12 balls, including three sixes and two fours. Salt scored 8 runs, while Jitesh Sharma was dismissed for a duck. Tim David remained unbeaten on 16 runs from 10 balls.

Earlier, Sunrisers Hyderabad posted a total of 201 for 9 after being put in to bat. Their start was shaky as openers Abhishek Sharma (7) and Travis Head (11) were dismissed early. Nitish Reddy, who came in at number four, could only manage 1 run.

With SRH struggling at 29 for 3, captain Ishan Kishan and Heinrich Klaasen steadied the innings with a 97-run partnership for the fourth wicket. Klaasen scored 31 runs from 22 balls, including two fours and a six, while Kishan played a remarkable innings of 80 runs off 38 balls, hitting eight fours and five sixes.

Apart from them, Aniket Verma made a significant contribution lower down the order, scoring 43 runs off just 18 balls with three fours and four sixes, helping SRH cross the 200-run mark.

For RCB, Jacob Duffy and Romario Shepherd picked up three wickets each, while Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Abhinandan Singh, and Suyash Sharma claimed one wicket each.

 

 

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