Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru began IPL 2026 in commanding fashion, brushing aside Sunrisers Hyderabad by six wickets in the season opener at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday. The result set the tone for the tournament, with RCB making a bold statement while attention now turns to Wankhede Stadium for Sunday’s clash between five-time champions Mumbai Indians and three-time winners Kolkata Knight Riders.Kohli, Padikkal headline dominant chaseChasing 202, Virat Kohli anchored the innings with a fluent unbeaten 69 off 38 balls, striking five fours and five sixes. Returning to T20 cricket after a long break, Kohli looked in complete control as he registered his 64th IPL half-century and finished the game in style.The chase was set up brilliantly by impact substitute Devdutt Padikkal, who smashed 61 off just 26 balls, reaching his fifty in 21 deliveries. His 101-run stand with Kohli off only 45 balls blew the game wide open.Captain Rajat Patidar added further impetus with a quickfire 31 off 12 balls, ensuring there were no hiccups despite a brief double strike from SRH’s impact player David Payne.RCB raced to 203/4 in just 15.4 overs, finishing the chase with 26 balls to spare in a show of pure batting dominance.Kishan shines, Duffy impresses on debutEarlier, SRH posted a competitive 201/9 after being put in to bat. Stand-in skipper Ishan Kishan led the charge with a scintillating 80 off 38 balls, supported by a late blitz from Aniket Verma, who struck 43 off 18 deliveries.However, early damage from debutant Jacob Duffy, who returned impressive figures of 3/22, left SRH struggling at 29/3. Kishan and Heinrich Klaasen steadied the innings with a 97-run stand, but momentum dipped after Klaasen’s controversial dismissal near the boundary.Despite late hitting, Hyderabad’s total proved insufficient against RCB’s aggressive batting unit.All eyes on Wankhede for Sunday clashWith the opening result setting a high benchmark, the spotlight now shifts to Mumbai, where Mumbai Indians take on Kolkata Knight Riders in the second match of the season.After RCB’s emphatic start to their title defence, both teams will be eager to make an early statement as IPL 2026 gathers pace.
