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Royal Challengers Bengaluru began their IPL 2026 title defence with a dominant six-wicket victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad at Bengaluru’s M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on March 28, 2026.
Chasing 202, RCB reached 203 for 4 in 15.4 overs as Virat Kohli guided the run chase with an unbeaten 69 off 38 balls and Devdutt Padikkal struck 61 off 26.
Debutant Jacob Duffy set the tone with 3-22 to rock SRH’s top order earlier; Ishan Kishan top-scored for Hyderabad with 80 off 38 and Aniket Verma’s late 43 off 18 boosted SRH to 201-9.
The match also produced an early controversy when Heinrich Klaasen’s dismissal — a tumbling boundary catch by Phil Salt — was given out after a third-umpire review, prompting debate over boundary-cushion camera angles.
The ODI-era greats and commentators lauded Kohli’s “chase master” performance.
The fixture was played without a formal opening ceremony as RCB and the league paid tribute to 11 fans who died in a 2025 stampede; players wore black armbands, 11 seats remain vacant and security measures were stepped up.
The game followed the franchise’s high-profile sale on March 24, 2026, to a consortium valuing RCB at about INR 16,600 crore.






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