2 wickets in 2 balls! David Payne is on a hattrick! Rajat Patidar departs looking to go big, caught at long-off. Jitesh Sharma is up next, he attempts a slog through fine-leg. Didn't time it convincingly, gets caught.

Payne is unable to complete the hattrick, though. Tim David blocks well. But is there a late, late, late twist on the cards?

RCB 164/4 (13)

Rajat Patidar, this is sensational hitting! The RCB captain is going absolutely berserk. First a boundary straight down the ground, and then he targets the on-side. A maximum each over long-on and deep mid-wicket. Three wides too to add to Eshan Malinga's misery. 22 off the over. 

RCB 162/2 (12)

More maximums! Rajat Patidar shows his might first, hammers it over mid-wicket for 6. Virat Kohli then steps out and smashes a straight 6 against Harsh Dubey. Required run-rate for RCB is under 7 now!

Kohli on 45 off 27.

RCB 140/2 (11)

WOW! Another cracking shot from Virat Kohli! This is just incredible wrist work, he flicks Harshal for a maximum over deep square-leg. Made it look effortless, but enough to make the Chinnaswamy go ga-ga.

Couple of balls later, Rajat Patidar slams his first boundary! Great shot through point for 4.

RCB 126/2 (10)

Padikkal's sensational knock ends! He gets a fortunate boundary through third-man, then hammers an incredible 6 over square-leg, but departs looking to hit a straight 6. This time, Klaasen completes his catch. Padikkal departs for a remarkable 61 off 26.

First wicket for Harsh Dubey. Is that the breakthrough that will help SRH come back into the game?

RCB 111/2 (8.4)

100 comes up for RCB! It's taken them just 8.1 overs. Devdutt Padikkal has been the destructor-in-chief, Virat Kohli has played his part, and SRH have too with some below-par fielding. They are 29 runs and 2 wickets ahead of RCB!

RCB 100/1 (8.1)

It's all happening at the Chinnaswamy! Virat Kohli mistimes a lofted shot towards long-on, should've been an easy catch but Heinrich Klaasen misjudges it completely and puts it down!

Next ball, Devdutt Padikkal slams a glorious boundary back over Harshal Patel's head for 4. 50 for Padikkal in just 21 balls! What a knock.

And then another mistake by Ishan Kishan, and 4 byes again!

RCB 99/1 (8)

WOW! Maybe the shot of the day! Virat Kohli stands tall and elegantly slams Eshan Malinga for a maximum, straight back over his head. That was reminiscent of his famous 6 against Pakistan in 2022. 

Another firm boundary through the off-side for Padikkal too, who is up to 46.

RCB 89/1 (7)

Ishan Kishan forced to introduce a spinner in the powerplay, as Harsh Dubey comes into the attack. 9 off his first over. RCB up to 76 in the powerplay. Salt departed early after a couple of boundaries, but Padikkal has ensured that RCB are ahead in this chase. He is 41 off 17 at the moment!

Virat Kohli going quite well at the other end too - 20 off 12.

RCB 76/1 (6)

Virat Kohli joins the party! He smashes a huge maximum off Jaydev Unadkat over deep mid-wicket, and then clobbers another 4 through the covers. Two balls later, Kishan makes a mess of a simple collection and SRH concede another boundary!

RCB 67/1 (5)

Devdutt Padikkal is really going after the Sunrisers bowling here! Two boundaries against Nitish Reddy and then he slams David Payne for a maximum and a boundary in back-to-back balls in the next over. Terrific hitting from the left-hander, who enjoyed a superb domestic season.

And he smashes another maximum on the final ball of the over! Over long-on! String of big hits from Padikkal, who is up to 34 off 11! 50 up for RCB! Remember, Padikkal was bought for just Rs 2 crore by RCB.

RCB 51/1 (4)

Devdutt Padikkal effortlessly flicks it for 6, first ball! Gets a ball on the pads, and helps it over deep square-leg for a maximum. Virat Kohli then gets strike and slams a boundary on his second ball, through the covers. 

RCB 21/1 (2)

GONE! Jaydev Unadkat strikes first ball! Phil Salt looks to go big, attempts a lofted shot, but mistimes it. The ball goes high in the air, miscommunication between the SRH fielders who nearly collide, but ultimately Heinrich Klaasen completes the catch.

RCB 9/1 (1.1)

Salt off the mark! The English opener slams two boundaries through the off-side against Reddy in the first over of the RCB chase. Takes a single on the final ball of the over to keep straight.

RCB 9/0 (1)

The pressure now will be on Virat Kohli. He dropped Aniket in the 18th over, whose exploits after that saw SRH cross 200. But Kohli has the chance, and the ability, to make it up and more with bat in hand.

He is out to open with Phil Salt. A successful opening combo last year, can they step up again? Nitish Kumar Reddy is going to open the bowling!

RCB 0/0 (0.1)

Jacob Duffy with an excellent performance tonight. He was excellent in the powerplay, and ended with figures of 3/22 in 4 overs, including the danger duo of Head and Abhishek in the same over. He bowled all of his overs on the trot, and repaid Rajat Patidar's faith.

Sunrisers Hyderabad have Ishan Kishan and Aniket Verma to thank for getting them to such a healthy total. They were 29/3 in the powerplay, but Kishan - now the stand-in skipper - led from the front. He missed out on a century, but Aniket continued the momentum and smashed a superb late cameo. 

Sunrisers cross 200! David Payne and Jaydev Unadkat survive the last over, which was bowled by Bhuvneshwar Kumar. No boundaries, but smart shot selection and good running between the wickets sees them get past the 200-run mark. 

SRH 201/9 (20)

RCB Target: 202

An incredible cameo by Aniket Verma comes to an end! He absolutely clobbers Romario Shepherd in the 19th over, smashing him for two sixes and a boundary. Virat Kohli, who dropped him in the previous over, will be rueing it big time.

Unfortunately for Aniket, he departs on the final ball of the over. Caught at long-off. This time Kohli holds on. Aniket departs for 43 off 18! Third wicket for Shepherd, but he's conceded 54 today.

SRH 192/9 (19)

Oh dear! Aniket Verma swings hard, the ball goes high in the air, Virat Kohli comes underneath but he drops it! Rare catch put down by Kohli. The camera immediately pans to his wife Anushka Sharma in the stands, who can't help but afford a smile.

But couple of balls later, Harshal Patel departs for a duck! He gets caught at long-off. Padikkal makes no mistake, Kohli breathes a small sigh of relief. First wicket for Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

SRH 174/8 (17.5)

Aniket Verma smashes a maximum, but sees Harsh Dubey depart at the other end! Aniket slammed a 6 on the first ball of the over, effortlessly helping it over fine-leg. But SRH lose their 7th wicket on the final ball, as Harsh Dubey gets caught at fine-leg by Padikkal. Second wicket for Shepherd.

SRH 167/7 (17)

PHIL SALT, YOU BEAUTY! Catch of the Tournament contender in Match No. 1? Ishan Kishan slams a 6 over third-man, looks to go big on the off-side again, but Salt runs in from deep extra cover and takes a one-handed stunner! He stretches out his right hand and plucks the ball from thin air. WOW!

Ishan Kishan's dreams of a second IPL century come to an end. He is gone for a magnificent 80 off 38. First IPL wicket for Abhinandan Singh.

SRH 155/6 (16)

5 overs to go in the Sunrisers Hyderabad innings. Ishan Kishan is well set on 74 off 36. Aniket Verma has joined him at the crease. He is SRH's last proper batter, although Harsh Dubey and Harshal Patel are also bowling all-rounders.

SRH would be aiming for at least 200 from here.

SRH 142/5 (15)

GONE! Salil Arora departs! Suyash Sharma is the wicket-taker! Salil goes for the big shot through mid-wicket, but doesn't get the connection. Excellent forward-diving catch by Devdutt Padikkal. 

SRH are 5 down!

SRH 137/5 (14.3)

Salil Arora to the party! The highly-rated explosive wicket-keeper batter swings hard at a short ball, and the top edge goes all the way for 6! From 29/3 at one stage, SRH have put themselves in a position to cross 200!

SRH 135/4 (14)

STUNNING! How has he not touched the boundary rope!? Heinrich Klaasen looks to hammer through mid-wicket, but Phil Salt grabs the catch in the deep. He loses balance after collecting the ball, falls down, but somehow avoids the rope. Sensational take. Important wicket for RCB.

A wicket for Romario Shepherd!

SRH 126/4 (13.1)

Krunal Pandya has been absolutely taken to the cleaners! Sunrisers Hyderabad are gaining momentum at a superb rate now. Heinrich Klaasen hammers a mega maximum on the first ball, over deep mid-wicket. Ishan Kishan concludes the over with two more sixes, one over deep mid-wicket and one straight back over the bowler's head.

SRH 126/3 (13)

Half-century for Ishan Kishan! What a knock he has played. Leading the side, he has stepped up and played a gem of an innings at a time when SRH needed it most. He gets to the milestone in 27 balls, slamming a thumping boundary down the ground. 

Very next ball, he thumps for 4 through extra cover to bring up 100 for SRH! And then he ends the over with 4 more, through fine-leg! 

Expensive over from Suyash Sharma. 13 off it.

SRH 105/3 (12)

Krunal Pandya enters the attack in the 11th over, and keeps things tight to start with. The left-arm spinner picked up 17 wickets last season, playing a major role in RCB's title win. He puts the brakes on the run-flow, concedes just 5 in his first over.

SRH 92/3 (11)

Ishan Kishan is inching towards his half-century now. He has played an excellent knock, finding gaps with ease. He's not only scoring regular boundaries but also rotating strike really well. 

SRH 87/3 (10)

50-run partnership comes up between Ishan Kishan and Heinrich Klaasen. The two have put up the stand in 28 balls, and somewhat resurrected the SRH ship, which had crumbled to 29/3 at one stage.

SRH 79/3 (9)

Two great shots! Heinrich Klaasen with two graceful drives down the ground against Romario Shepherd. The South African picks up his first two boundaries of the day. Sunrisers slowly picking up the pace here.

SRH 70/3 (8)

Interesting move here! Devdutt Padikkal comes for Jacob Duffy at the end of the 7th over. The Kiwi pacer has completed his spell, he's done his job for the night, and he's taken off. RCB go with Padikkal ahead of Venkatesh Iyer, who was bought for Rs 7 crore in the auction. He's likely to bat No. 3 today.

50 comes up for Sunrisers Hyderabad in 6.1 overs. Jacob Duffy is handed a fourth over on the trot, and he closes out with another tight over. 3/22 for Jacob Duffy on RCB debut. His exploits have left SRH reeling early on.

SRH 54/3 (7)

Ishan Kishan goes berserk! RCB hand the final over of the powerplay to debutant Abhinandan Singh, and Kishan charges after him. First, a 6 over deep square-leg, then a boundary pulled through mid-wicket, and then a wide delivery helped for 6 over third-man by Kishan.

Good end to a disappointing powerplay for SRH.

SRH 49/3 (6)

ANOTHER ONE! 3 wickets for Jacob Duffy! Nitish Kumar Reddy is gone for just 1 run off 6 balls. He goes for the big shot, miscues it completely, and an easy catch for debutant Abhinandan Singh in the circle.

SRH 29/3 (4.2)

Bhuvneshwar Kumar follows up Duffy's two-wicket over with a tidy one of his own. Concedes just 6 runs. SRH have sent Nitish Reddy up the order, to No. 4. Ishan Kishan, the stand-in-captain, is at the other end.

SRH 29/2 (4)

SIX, OUT! Travis Head is gone! Jacob Duffy has two wickets in one over! Incredible stuff. Head smashes an excellent maximum back over the bowler's head, but then perishes the very next ball. He swings hard again but gets caught at deep square-leg!

SRH 23/2 (3)

GONE! Huge wicket! Abhishek Sharma departs in the third over, and it is RCB debutant Jacob Duffy who strikes. Short from Duffy, Abhishek goes for the big swing, mistimes it, Jitesh Sharma ends up taking a great catch running backwards.

SRH 18/1 (2.1)

Inside edge, boundary! Bhuvneshwar had bowled a really tidy over, but Travis Head ends up getting a fortunate inside edge on the final ball, and picks up 4 runs. At the other end, Abhishek is struggling to time the ball.

SRH 17/0 (2)

Oh, that's close! The ball narrowly misses Abhishek's blade on his first ball, before being caught by wicket-keeper Jitesh. RCB were convinced there's an edge, they took the review, but UltraEdge confirms not out. Next ball, width offered and smashed for 6 by Abhishek!

Nevertheless, a tidy start by RCB!

SRH 7/0 (1)

We are LIVE! Jacob Duffy opens the bowling, Travis Head on strike. Abhishek Sharma at the non-striker's end. It's a tight delivery just outside off-stump, and Head just nudges it towards the off-side. No run. He gets off the mark second ball, with a flick towards fine-leg for 1.

SRH 1/0 (0.2)

The Indian national anthem plays before the start of the first match of IPL 2026. It's time for actions, folks. Sunrisers Hyderabad put in to bat, with Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head set to open. Stay tuned!

In the absence of Josh Hazlewood and Yash Dayal, it is Jacob Duffy and Abhinandan Singh who will play alongside Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the RCB pace attack. Interestingly, Mangesh Yadav, who was bought for Rs 5.20 crore in the auction, does not get picked today.

SRH XI vs RCB: Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan (c/wk), Heinrich Klaasen, Aniket Verma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Salil Arora, Harsh Dubey, Harshal Patel, Jaydev Unadkat, Eshan Malinga.

Salil Arora mentioned by Ishan Kishan during the toss. The explosive uncapped wicket-keeper batter makes his debut today, having impressed in SRH's practice games.

RCB XI vs SRH: Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Rajat Patidar (c), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Abhinandan Singh, Jacob Duffy, Suyash Sharma.

Venkatesh Iyer and Devdutt Padikkal feature among the Impact Subs. It'll be interesting to see which one among get the chance to bat.

RCB captain Rajat Patidar wins the toss and opts to bowl! The noise at the Chinnaswamy is absolutely defeaning, and it was nearly impossible to hear Ishan Kishan's call. Jacob Duffy and Abhinandan Singh are making their debuts for RCB!

A packed house at the Chinnaswamy watches on as RCB captain Rajat Patidar enters the field of play. Ishan Kishan is there too. It's time for the toss! 

RCB's two most expensive signings at the IPL 2026 mini-auction were Venkatesh Iyer (Rs 7 crore) and Mangesh Yadav (Rs 5.20 crore). Both players have a good chance of featuring today. With Yash Dayal out, Mangesh is a like-for-like replacement. On the other hand, Venkatesh impressed with both bat and ball for RCB in their pre-season intra-squad matches.

According to reports, rain is predicted at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru tonight. Let's hope there's minimal rainfall today. Even then, the excellent drainage system at the Chinnaswamy ensures the game carries on without much of a delay.

The wait is nearly over, folks! We are just under 15 minutes away from toss time at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. Rajat Patidar will lead RCB, while Ishan Kishan will lead SRH in the absence of Pat Cummins.

Sunrisers Hyderabad have arguably the deepest batting lineup in the tournament. With Liam Livingstone and Salil Arora added to the SRH roster, they could boast a batting that sees Nitish Reddy walk out at No. 8. That speaks volumes of how strong it is!

Sunrisers Hyderabad had an underwhelming season in 2025. Expected by many to challenge for the title last year, SRH endured a horrible run of form in the middle of the season, languishing towards the bottom of the table. A few late wins saw them recover to sixth, but still well behind the playoffs spots.

This time around, SRH's batting looks even stronger! Can they put together a big season in 2026?

All eyes will be on Abhishek Sharma tonight, the world's No. 1 T20I batter. When on song, there is arguably no scarier batter in world cricket. Abhishek did not enjoy the best of T20 World Cups. However, his best knock came in the final, where he smashed 52 off 21. He'll be hoping to carry that form forward to the first match of IPL 2026.

The M Chinnaswamy Stadium erupts as Virat Kohli walks out for his pre-match practice. RCB's stalwart has not played a single T20I since the IPL 2025 final, having retired from the format in international cricket.

He slammed 657 runs last year. How many will he score this time around?

Sunrisers Hyderabad will be led by Ishan Kishan tonight, with regular captain Pat Cummins not fit to start the IPL 2026 season. Kishan has enjoyed a terrific few months, first leading domestic side Jharkhand to the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2025-26 title, and then playing a pivotal role as India lifted the T20 World Cup 2026.

The Royal Challengers Bengaluru players will wear black armbands today. This is in remembrance of the tragic stampede that took place near the M Chinnaswamy Stadium last year, during RCB's IPL 2025 title celebrations in Bengaluru, which saw 11 people killed.

Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), more than any other team, have rebranded the way T20 cricket is played over the last two seasons. The four-highest totals in IPL history belong to the Sunrisers, with the likes of Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head and Heinrich Klaasen regularly going berserk. 

The 300-run barrier is yet to be broken in the IPL, but it is hard to ignore that SRH look most likely to do so.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) begin their title defence today. Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar and co. created history in IPL 2025, bringing IPL glory to Bengaluru at long, long last. Now, they enter IPL 2026 as one of the favourites and most balanced sides in the tournament. Many are tipping them to contend for the title once again!

IPL 2026 IS HERE! The grandest cricket tournament begins today, and we are set to start off with a blockbuster clash. Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) take on the mighty powerhitters of Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).

Stay tuned to NDTV Sports for all the live updates from the match!