IPL 2026: The Indian Premier League 2026 season is all set to kick off with a high-voltage clash between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Sunrisers Hyderabad at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru today on Saturday, March 28.
For Bengaluru, this will be a special game as they will step onto the field as defending champions for the first time in franchise history, but the occasion also carries deep emotion. This will be the first match at Chinnaswamy following the tragic June 2025 stampede that claimed the lives of 11 RCB supporters. In their memory, the franchise has taken a heartwarming step as they will keep 11 seats permanently unoccupied as a tribute.
All eyes will also be on Virat Kohli, as RCB will aim to begin their title defence on a winning note as they chase a second IPL trophy. Meanwhile, Hyderabad come into the contest without regular skipper Pat Cummins, with Ishan Kishan stepping in to lead the side.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s Playing XI:
Virat Kohli, Philip Salt, Rajat Patidar(c), Jitesh Sharma(w), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Abhinandan Singh, Jacob Duffy, Suyash Sharma
Impact Player: Mangesh Yadav
Sunrisers Hyderabad Playing XI:
Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan(w/c), Heinrich Klaasen, Aniket Verma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Salil Arora, Harsh Dubey, Harshal Patel, Jaydev Unadkat, Eshan Malinga