Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Sunrisers Hyderabad Prediction & Preview – IPL 2026 Opener
Match summary
Champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru start IPL 2026 against Sunrisers Hyderabad at Chinnaswamy on 28 March. Our preview, XIs and pick.
Match details
| Match | Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, 1st Match |
|---|---|
| Series | Indian Premier League 2026 |
| Date | 28 Mar 2026 |
| Start time | 2:00 pm GMT / 7:30 pm local |
| Venue | M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru |
| Status | Played |
| Our pick | Royal Challengers Bengaluru |
| Toss pick | Sunrisers Hyderabad |
Matches in this series
Match preview
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.
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.
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
| Innings | Predicted | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| First innings | 180–200 | – |
| Second innings | 185–205 | – |
Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Our preview picks Royal Challengers Bengaluru, who have home advantage as defending champions, with Sunrisers Hyderabad expected to win the toss.
Toss pick: Sunrisers Hyderabad
FAQ
Where is Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Sunrisers Hyderabad played?
The opening match of IPL 2026 is at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday, 28 March, starting at 7:30 pm local time.
Who captains the sides in this game?
Rajat Patidar leads Royal Challengers Bengaluru, while Ishan Kishan leads Sunrisers Hyderabad in the opening matches as Pat Cummins is unavailable.
Who does our preview pick?
Our preview picks Royal Challengers Bengaluru, and expects Sunrisers Hyderabad to win the toss.
Probable XIs
Expected line-ups from our preview. c = captain, wk = wicketkeeper.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru
- Rajat Patidarc
- Phil Salt
- Virat Kohli
- Tim David
- Venkatesh Iyer
- Jitesh Sharmawk
- Krunal Pandya
- Romario Shepherd
- Bhuvneshwar Kumar
- Nuwan Tushara
- Suyash Sharma
Sunrisers Hyderabad
- Ishan Kishanc
- Abhishek Sharma
- Travis Head
- Heinrich Klaasenwk
- Aniket Verma
- Liam Livingstone
- Nitish Reddy
- Harshal Patel
- Harsh Dubey
- Brydon Carse
- Jaydev Unadkat