The IPL 2026 got underway on March 28, with the RCB vs SRH match at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. But then, it wasn’t an easy road for the iconic stadium, to get in the IPL reconning again. After 11 lives were lost during the stampede outside the stadium, the concerned parties and the authorities left no stone unturned, to ensure greatest level of safety for the fans.
SRH, RCB sport black armbands
But then the loss is still too heavy to bear. And in order to pay a tribute to the fans who lost their lives, Benglauru and Hyderabad players sport black armbands for the opening match.
A statement from RCB said, “Royal Challengers Bengaluru will pay tribute to the eleven members of the RCB family who tragically lost their lives in the unfortunate incident on June 4. As a mark of respect, players will wear practice jerseys bearing the number 11 during the warm-up, followed by black armbands during the match.”
In fact, the tribute extends well beyond the black armbands as well. “In a lasting gesture of remembrance, eleven seats at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium will remain unoccupied, serving as a permanent tribute to the fans whose unwavering support will always be a part of the RCB family,” the statement concluded.
Meanwhile, both teams went with a few surprising picks, as far as their playing XIs for the opening match is concerned. SRH played an unknown Salil Arora — a batter with huge hitting capabilities, while Bengaluru played Abhinandan Singh and Jacob Duffy.
Playing XIs
RCB – Virat Kohli, Philip Salt, Rajat Patidar(c), Jitesh Sharma(w), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Abhinandan Singh, Jacob Duffy, Suyash Sharma.
SRH – 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.
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