Updated on: Mar 28, 2026 4:30:18 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 LIVE Score: Virat Kohli and Rajat Patidar warm up in a net session at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 LIVE Score: The temperatures soar, the ACs beep on, and the Indian Premier League returns to screens across the country. For the nineteenth edition of the tournament, the IPL is up and running once again, and the excitement is just the same as ever. The tournament curtain-raiser takes us to the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, which hosts top-level cricket for the first time in 10 months – a southern derby nice and early, as defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru host Sunrisers Hyderabad.
RCB come into 2026 as a very different team. The monkey is off their back – the IPL trophy finally sits in the showroom, the star above their crest, as Virat Kohli at long last was rewarded for his immense love and loyalty. It was all about a well-balanced team around their star, who put together a typical high-scoring season but had plenty of support – a high-quality T20 team which always looked like a trophy-contending team, and things are very similar one year on.
RCB expected XI
The sole matter of concern is the absence of Josh Hazlewood and the subsequent loss of Nuwan Thushara, which means overseas pace bowling options are suddenly at a premium for RCB. Otherwise, the team won’t look too different to what it was last year – Phil Salt at the top of the order, Rajat Patidar and Jitesh Sharma supported by Tim David through the middle, Krunal Pandya and Suyash Sharma as the spin options, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar the cornerstone with the fast-bowling.
It is the pieces around them that need some fine-tuning. The big questions are a straightforward debate between Devdutt Padikkal and Venkatesh Iyer, only one of whom will come in, and then a choice between Jacob Bethell and Romario Shepherd. Bethell is in high regard after his T20 World Cup semifinal century, but makes the side slightly top-heavy, but does provide extra spin; the last overseas slot will now likely go to Jacob Duffy, the Kiwi who will begin his IPL journey. There will also be some slight inexperience in the seam bowling, as either Rasikh Salam Dar or Mangesh Yadav are expected to play alongside Bhuvneshwar. Shepherd might be called upon simply for the extra seam-bowling option.
SRH expected XI
For SRH, it is the same story as the last two years: arguably the best batting lineup in the entire tournament, but a slightly piecemeal bowling unit which will need to be at its best to complement the power in the batting. The bowling has some quality experienced seam bowling in Jaydev Unadkat and Harshal Patel, but neither are gamechangers – in Pat Cummins’ absence, they need to pick up a lot of the responsibility. Harsh Dubey and Zeeshan Ansari are expected to be the spin options.
It comes down in large part to the batting. Just look at these names: Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan, Heinrich Klaasen, Liam Livingstone, Nitish Kumar Reddy, ably supported by the rising talents of Aniket Verma and Salil Arora. Even if Livingstone misses out for an extra overseason seam option, that’s a murderer’s row of hitters, so much power and talent packed into it. They had a quiet outing in 2025, but that was an aberration and an off-year: with that much quality, it only takes one or two batters to come good to take the match away. With the form that Ishan Kishan is in, now christened captain, he will be leading from the front.
The big selection debate for SRH will be regarding the inclusion of Eshan Malinga and Brydon Carse. One of the two will certainly play, but the other will only come in at the expense of Livingstone with the bat. If both seamers are opted for to provide extra cover, Ravichandran Smaran could be the man to come in: this is his home ground, and he has been in terrific touch throughout the domestic season. He could bridge the gap between the terrific top four and the powerful death hitters in this team.
Finally, it’s the Chinnaswamy to think about. Since last June’s tragic stampede, it hasn’t hosted any high-level cricket, so teams won’t really know what to expect exactly. But in general, the Chinnaswamy is a good batting surface, with small boundaries, both of which equal big runs – particularly with the calibre of batting on each side.
It should be a barnstorming start to the season, with all kinds of potential to live up to right ahead. IPL 2026 is here.
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RCB come into 2026 as a very different team. The monkey is off their back – the IPL trophy finally sits in the showroom, the star above their crest, as Virat Kohli at long last was rewarded for his immense love and loyalty. It was all about a well-balanced team around their star, who put together a typical high-scoring season but had plenty of support – a high-quality T20 team which always looked like a trophy-contending team, and things are very similar one year on.
RCB expected XI
The sole matter of concern is the absence of Josh Hazlewood and the subsequent loss of Nuwan Thushara, which means overseas pace bowling options are suddenly at a premium for RCB. Otherwise, the team won’t look too different to what it was last year – Phil Salt at the top of the order, Rajat Patidar and Jitesh Sharma supported by Tim David through the middle, Krunal Pandya and Suyash Sharma as the spin options, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar the cornerstone with the fast-bowling.
It is the pieces around them that need some fine-tuning. The big questions are a straightforward debate between Devdutt Padikkal and Venkatesh Iyer, only one of whom will come in, and then a choice between Jacob Bethell and Romario Shepherd. Bethell is in high regard after his T20 World Cup semifinal century, but makes the side slightly top-heavy, but does provide extra spin; the last overseas slot will now likely go to Jacob Duffy, the Kiwi who will begin his IPL journey. There will also be some slight inexperience in the seam bowling, as either Rasikh Salam Dar or Mangesh Yadav are expected to play alongside Bhuvneshwar. Shepherd might be called upon simply for the extra seam-bowling option.
SRH expected XI
For SRH, it is the same story as the last two years: arguably the best batting lineup in the entire tournament, but a slightly piecemeal bowling unit which will need to be at its best to complement the power in the batting. The bowling has some quality experienced seam bowling in Jaydev Unadkat and Harshal Patel, but neither are gamechangers – in Pat Cummins’ absence, they need to pick up a lot of the responsibility. Harsh Dubey and Zeeshan Ansari are expected to be the spin options.
It comes down in large part to the batting. Just look at these names: Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan, Heinrich Klaasen, Liam Livingstone, Nitish Kumar Reddy, ably supported by the rising talents of Aniket Verma and Salil Arora. Even if Livingstone misses out for an extra overseason seam option, that’s a murderer’s row of hitters, so much power and talent packed into it. They had a quiet outing in 2025, but that was an aberration and an off-year: with that much quality, it only takes one or two batters to come good to take the match away. With the form that Ishan Kishan is in, now christened captain, he will be leading from the front.
The big selection debate for SRH will be regarding the inclusion of Eshan Malinga and Brydon Carse. One of the two will certainly play, but the other will only come in at the expense of Livingstone with the bat. If both seamers are opted for to provide extra cover, Ravichandran Smaran could be the man to come in: this is his home ground, and he has been in terrific touch throughout the domestic season. He could bridge the gap between the terrific top four and the powerful death hitters in this team.
Finally, it’s the Chinnaswamy to think about. Since last June’s tragic stampede, it hasn’t hosted any high-level cricket, so teams won’t really know what to expect exactly. But in general, the Chinnaswamy is a good batting surface, with small boundaries, both of which equal big runs – particularly with the calibre of batting on each side.
It should be a barnstorming start to the season, with all kinds of potential to live up to right ahead. IPL 2026 is here.
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Mar 28, 2026 4:04:46 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 LIVE Score: HELLO AND WELCOME!
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 LIVE Score: At long last, it’s time for the IPL! 10 months on from when RCB beat Punjab Kings to lift their first IPL trophy, they begin their title defence at home, in the shadow of tragedy, but nevertheless with the weight of expectations. They host SRH, the 2025 finalists, who are looking to bounce back from a quiet year under the leadership of Ishan Kishan. Should be a thrilling rollercoaster first up!
