The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 kicked off in a sensational fashion. Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) put SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) on the mat to win yesterday’s IPL match at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday, March 28.
If you just glanced at the scorecard, you’d think it was another high-scoring IPL game. It wasn’t. RCB didn’t just beat SRH, they made a 200-plus chase look far easier than it had any right to be. RCB chased down 202 in just 15.4 overs, winning by six wickets and 26 balls to spare, scripting the fastest 200+ chase in IPL history.
For context, SRH were not under par. 201 for 9, powered by Ishan Kishan’s 80 off 38 and Aniket Verma’s 43 off 18, was a decent total on a surface that had movement early on in the powerplay. However, SRH needed an extra cushion of runs with them missing Pat Cummins for the opening IPL 2026 match.
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 match result
The difference was in how RCB bossed both the powerplays. Jacob Duffy, on debut, quietly did the hard yards. He didn’t let RCB miss Josh Hazlewood. A huge shoes to fill. Rajat Patidar let Duffy bowl four consecutive overs and he returned with 3 for 22. SRH were 29 for 3 at one stage, and those wickets were Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head and Nitish Reddy. That early dent meant SRH were always catching up, even while scoring at over 10 an over in the middle phase.
Then came the chase, and that’s where the game slipped away completely. RCB were 76 for 1 in the powerplay. That’s where the contest effectively ended. Devdutt Padikkal came in as Impact Sub and went straight into attack mode, racing to 61 off 26 and bringing up his fifty in just 21 balls. By the time he got out, the equation had already been broken.
Virat Kohli did what he usually does in chases, but with a slight twist. He didn’t force anything early, let Padikkal take the risks, and then took over once the job was half done. His 69 not out off 38 balls had five fours and five sixes, finishing at a strike rate above 180. There was a moment where he hit 6,4,4,4 in four balls to wrap it up for RCB.
SRH went at 8.16 in the powerplay. RCB went at 14.75. That gap is where the game was decided. SRH will point to Pat Cummins’ absence and a few missed moments, including a dropped chance of Kohli. But they were always behind the 8-ball. Now, RCB’s got a big break before they host CSK at M Chinnaswamy Stadium next Sunday (April 5). Meanwhile, SRH’s off to Kolkata to face KKR at Eden Gardens on Thursday (April 2).
IPL 2026 Points Table after RCB vs SRH Match
| POS | TEAM | P | W | L | NRR | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | RCB | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2.907 | 2 |
| – | CSK | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 |
| – | DC | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 |
| – | GT | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 |
| – | KKR | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 |
| – | LSG | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 |
| – | MI | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 |
| – | PBKS | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 |
| – | RR | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.000 | 0 |
| 10 | SRH | 1 | 0 | 1 | -2.907 | 0 |
Next IPL 2026 match
| Match No. | Date | Day | Home Team | Away Team | Venue | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | March 29, 2026 | Sun | Mumbai Indians | Kolkata Knight Riders | Mumbai | 19:30 |
