Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Sunrisers Hyderabad Prediction & Preview – IPL 2026 Opener

The IPL 2026 season opens at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday, 28 March, with Royal Challengers Bengaluru hosting Sunrisers Hyderabad. The game starts at 7:30 pm local time.

Bengaluru are defending champions under Rajat Patidar, having ended a 17-year wait for a title in 2025. Virat Kohli made 657 runs last season and opens alongside Phil Salt, with Tim David, Venkatesh Iyer, Jitesh Sharma, Krunal Pandya and Romario Shepherd to follow. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Yash Dayal share the new ball, though Josh Hazlewood is missing early in the tournament, so Nuwan Tushara and Suyash Sharma must deliver in the middle overs. Dayal is listed as an impact-player option.

Sunrisers did not get past the league stage last year, when their bowling struggled and they leaned heavily on the batters. Ishan Kishan captains in the early games, with Pat Cummins unavailable. Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma open, Heinrich Klaasen follows at three, and Livingstone and Nitish Reddy add power. Jaydev Unadkat and Brydon Carse share the new ball, with Harshal Patel and Harsh Dubey in the middle overs. Our preview picks Bengaluru.

Probable playing XI

Pitch report

The Chinnaswamy Stadium is traditionally one of the most batting-friendly venues in world cricket, with a flat deck, true bounce, short square boundaries and a quick outfield. T20 totals of 180–200 are common. Pacers may find early movement under lights and spinners some turn as the surface wears, but bowlers need discipline and variations. Dew in evening games favours chasers.

Weather

Bengaluru is expected to be pleasant and mostly dry at 7:30 pm on 28 March, with temperatures near 20–22 °C as night falls and clear to partly cloudy skies. Rainfall chances are generally low in late evening at this time of year.

Expected scores

• 1st innings: 180–200
• 2nd innings: 185–205

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