Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) began their Indian Premier League (IPL) title-defense with a commanding win over Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), securing a six-wicket victory with 26 balls to spare to open their account on the points table.
After winning the toss and opting to bowl, RCB made early inroads through debutant Jacob Duffy. The New Zealand pacer made immediate, bowling four overs on the trot and picking up three wickets in the powerplay to finish with figures of 3/22, disrupting SRH's top order.
Despite the early setbacks, stand-in captain Ishan Kishan anchored SRH's innings with an aggressive 80 off 38 balls. His counter-attacking knock kept SRH in contention through the middle overs before 24-year-old Aniket Verma provided a late surge, striking 43 off just 18 deliveries to lift the total to 201/9.
In response, RCB recovered quickly after losing Phil Salt in the second over. Devdutt Padikkal set the tone with a brisk 61 off 28 balls, ensuring the chase never drifted. Virat Kohli then assumed control, pacing the innings to perfection with an unbeaten 69 off 38 deliveries, effectively shutting SRH out of the contest.
Rajat Patidar added a late flourish with a quickfire 31 off 12 balls as RCB chased down the target with ease.
The result gives RCB an early boost in the IPL 2026 points table, with a strong net run rate. Here's a look at how the IPL 2026 Points Table stands after Match 1.
| Teams | Matches Played | Won | Lost | No Result | Points | Net Run Rate |
| Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2.907 |
| Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -2.907 |
| Mumbai Indians (MI) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chennai Super Kings (CSK) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Delhi Capitals (DC) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Punjab Kings (PBKS) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rajasthan Royals (RR) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Gujarat Titans (GT) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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