Kohli anchors RCB chase
Royal Challengers Bengaluru opened IPL 2026 with a six‑wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad — Virat Kohli finished unbeaten on 69 to anchor the chase while Devdutt Padikkal supported the late surge. RCB’s bowlers, including a key Jacob Duffy spell, kept SRH to a chaseable total at M Chinnaswamy. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com) (indiatoday.in)
Sunrisers Hyderabad posted 201 for 9 in 20 overs, paced by Ishan Kishan’s 80 off 38 balls as their highest score. (cricbuzz.com) Jacob Duffy finished with 3 for 22 on his RCB debut, striking in the powerplay to dent SRH’s top order and earning Player of the Match honours. (espncricinfo.com) SRH’s innings also featured a late cameo from Aniket Verma (43 off 18) while Romario Shepherd returned 3 for 54; extras included four wides that helped push the total past 200. (cricbuzz.com) RCB chased the target in 15.4 overs, finishing on 203 for 4 with quick contributions from Rajat Patidar (31 off 12) and Tim David (16* off 10) accelerating the finish. (cricbuzz.com) The target was reached with 26 balls to spare, a margin that underscored RCB’s aggressive middle overs after conceding a 10-plus-run rate in the earlier stages. (espncricinfo.com) Royal Challengers Bengaluru entered the season as the reigning IPL champions from 2025, with Rajat Patidar leading the side in Bangalore’s season opener. (royalchallengers.com)
