Royal Challengers Bengaluru had a dream season in 2025, and they finally ended the trophy drought as Rajat Patidar led them to win their maiden IPL title. It was a complete team effort, and their bowlers were the mainstay of the team. But the challenge will be bigger, as now they have to defend their title in the IPL 2026. Josh Hazlewood is all set to miss a few games, while Yash Dayal will not be part of the IPL 2026.
This has certainly hurt their combination. But that is the challenge they have to face. RCB are scheduled to face Sunrisers Hyderabad in the opening encounter of the new season. This game will be live from Chinnaswamy Stadium on March 28 (Saturday) at 7:30 PM IST. RCB have a settled batting unit, which will see the inclusion of Venkatesh Iyer.
But their bowling unit will heavily depend on Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Krunal Pandya. SRH will miss captain Pat Cummins for a few games, and Ishan Kishan is the stand-in captain. Liam Livingstone, who was part of RCB last season, will play for SRH now. That will add more spice to this contest. Not to forget, the last IPL game these sides played in Bengaluru saw 549 runs scored in just 40 overs.
RCB vs SRH: Match Info.
·Tournament: Indian Premier League 2026
·Match: Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, Match 1
·Venue: M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
·Time: 7:30 PM IST
·Date: March 28, 2026 (Saturday)
RCB vs SRH: Head-to-Head: RCB (11) – SRH (14)
The upcoming contest will be the 27th time these two champions will be up against each other in the IPL. Sunrisers Hyderabad have won 14 times as compared to 11 victories for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, whereas one game has been called off.
RCB vs SRH: Pitch Report
The wicket at Chinnaswamy Stadium is pretty flat. This surface offers minimal assistance to the bowlers, apart from early swing for the first few overs. The batters will dominate at this venue, which is one of the high-scoring venues in India. It is one of the two venues in the IPL where 250+ has been scored three times. Shorter boundaries, a quick outfield, and a flat surface make it difficult for the bowling sides.
RCB vs SRH: Live Streaming Details
·TV: Star Sports Network
·Digital: Jio Hotstar (App or Website)
RCB vs SRH: Weather Report
The weather forecast for Saturday evening in Bengaluru will be clear and humid. The temperature will hover around 27°C, with a moderate wind speed of 13 km/h and 33 percent humidity.
RCB vs SRH: Last Five Results
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: NR, L, W, W, W
Sunrisers Hyderabad: L, NR, W, W, W
Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Sunrisers Hyderabad: Predicted XIs:
SRH: A. Sharma, T. Head, I. Kishan (C & wk), H. Klaasen, L. Livingstone, N. Kumar Reddy, S. Arora, H. Patel, Z. Ansari, J. Unadkat, E. Malinga
RCB vs SRH: Players to Watch out for
Sunrisers Hyderabad: Ishan Kishan will be making his captaincy debut. He is the only batter with 500+ runs in T20Is in 2026. There are several destructive batters in SRH, but Ishan also gives you consistency with the bat.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Virat Kohli is the leading scorer in IPL history and is the backbone of this batting unit. He has been scoring consistently and is expected to start the new season with a bang. So, he is the bankable RCB batter in this game.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Sunrisers Hyderabad Today’s Match Prediction: This is expected to be a high-scoring thriller between these two powerhouses. Both sides are heavily at the top, but RCB have some real power hitters down the order as well. That gives them an edge. But when it comes to destructiveness, SRH stand apart in this league. They score 250 or more for fun. This is the venue, where they have scored the highest IPL total ever.
That is where the team with good bowling performance on the day will win. Both sides will miss their key bowlers like Cummins, Hazlewood, and Dayal. So, the others need to stand up. But if we compare the two bowling units, RCB have an edge with the experience they have with pace and spin units. That is why RCB will start this contest as the favorite.
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