RCB kick off IPL with a statement
RCB chased 202 to beat SRH — winning 203/4 vs 201/9 — with Virat Kohli unbeaten on 69 and Devdutt Padikkal blistering 61 off 26 to set the chase up ( ). Across the doubleheader, Ishan Kishan hit the 3,000-run IPL milestone and MI vs KKR saw Ajinkya Rahane flirting with a century in the second game — and CSK’s MS Dhoni is set to miss more than two matches with injury ( ).
Jacob Duffy claimed 3/22 on his IPL debut, removing Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head and Nitish Kumar Reddy in the powerplay and earning Player of the Match. (espncricinfo.com) RCB used Devdutt Padikkal as their Impact Player for Duffy, and Padikkal reached a fifty in just 21 balls after he walked in as the substitute. (wisden.com) Virat Kohli crossed the 4,000-run mark specifically in IPL run-chases, becoming the first batter in the tournament’s history to do so during the opener. (business-standard.com) Ishan Kishan — leading Sunrisers Hyderabad in his captaincy debut — struck an 80 off 38 as part of SRH’s top‑order recovery in the first-innings. (espncricinfo.com) Kolkata Knight Riders put up 220 for 4 in the day's second game, with Ajinkya Rahane top-scoring 67 off 40 and Shardul Thakur returning figures of 3‑39. (espncricinfo.com) Chennai Super Kings confirmed MS Dhoni is undergoing rehabilitation for a calf strain and will miss the opening two weeks of the tournament; multiple reports say the layoff could stretch to around six matches with a likely late‑April return. (indianexpress.com)
