Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have taken a bold move and handed a debut to Abhinandan Singh during the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) clash against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday (March 28).
This match marks the first game of the Bengaluru-based franchise in their title defense after they lifted the trophy last year for the first time.
With Yash Dayal unavailable and not part of the RCB squad this season, the Bengaluru-based franchise had a big decision to make. Abhinandan has won the race over fellow uncapped pacers Rasikh Salam Dar and Mangesh Yadav to get a place in the playing XI.
Who Is Abhinandan Singh?
Abhinandan Singh is set to celebrate his 29th birthday on Tuesday (March 30). Today’s game is not just his debut for RCB as well in the IPL. The right-handed pacer is playing the first match of his professional career, as he has not played domestic cricket for Uttar Pradesh (UP) so far. Abhinandan is described as a batter who can bowl at a quick pace and ‘hit the deck.’ ‘ However, he remains an unknown commodity because of his lack of top-level experience.
Abhinandan was signed by RCB for his base price of ₹30 Lakhs in the 2025 IPL mega auction. He was part of the squad that won the title last year and received a winner’s medal. However, he did not play a single game throughout the season but was retained ahead of the 19th edition. The stint with RCB is Abhinandan’s first IPL contract.
Abhinandan is a late bloomer, who was till only playing tennis-ball cricket until four years ago. He burst on the scene by impressing in the Uttar Pradesh T20 League for Lucknow Falcons. In the 2025 edition, the right-arm pacer took eight wickets in 10 games. Earlier, he took 15 wickets in 11 matches during his debut season in 2024.