Kohli and Padikkal’s Half-Centuries Propel Bangalore to a Spectacular Winning Start
News Summary
Compiled and Edited.
- In the opening match of IPL 2026, Royal Challengers Bangalore defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad by 7 wickets.
- Bangalore chased down a target of 202 runs in just 15.4 overs, registering the fastest chase of over 200 runs in IPL history.
- Virat Kohli remained unbeaten on 69, while Devdutt Padikkal scored 61 and captain Rajat Patidar contributed an aggressive 31 runs.
Kathmandu, Chaitra 14 – Opening the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 on Saturday, defending champions Royal Challengers Bangalore made a victorious start, thanks to half-centuries by Devdutt Padikkal and Virat Kohli along with an aggressive innings from captain Rajat Patidar.
At their home ground, M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad by 7 wickets. They successfully chased down the robust target of 202 runs in just 15.4 overs, marking the fastest IPL chase over 200 runs.
Virat Kohli anchored the chase with an unbeaten 69 runs off 38 balls, displaying 5 fours and 5 sixes. Padikkal contributed 61 runs from 26 balls, including 7 fours and 4 sixes. Captain Rajat Patidar played an attacking cameo, scoring 31 runs off 12 balls.
For Hyderabad, David Payne took 2 wickets, while Jaddu Unadkat and Hrush Dubey claimed one wicket each.
Having lost the toss, Hyderabad elected to bat first and posted 201 runs for 9 wickets in 20 overs. Captain Ishan Kishan was the top scorer with 80 runs off 38 balls, while Aniket Verma made 43 runs from 21 balls. Heinrich Klaasen contributed 31 runs.
At one stage, Hyderabad was struggling at 29 for 3, but Kishan and Klaasen rebuilt the innings with a 97-run partnership. Klaasen was dismissed by a stunning catch from Phil Salt, who also took the catch to send the set batsman Kishan back to the pavilion.
For RCB, Jacob Duffy was the most successful bowler, taking 3 wickets for 22 runs in 4 overs. Romario Shepherd also took 3 wickets but was expensive, conceding 54 runs in 4 overs. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Abhinandan Singh, and Suyash Sharma chipped in with one wicket each.