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In a high-scoring season opener at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday, defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) by six wickets to start their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 campaign.
Rajat Patidar, the captain of the RCB, dedicated the win to the 11 supporters who perished in a stampede last year.
“This win, we dedicate to the 11 fans we lost last year,” Patidar stated in a video that RCB shared on Instagram.
RCB chased down 202 runs in just over 15 overs to start the campaign with a win. The run chase was anchored by Virat Kohli, who scored a half-century to guide the hosts to a victory.
RCB batting coach and mentor Dinesh Karthik reflected on the emotional start to the match, saying, “I must say it was pretty emotional at the start when we all stood, and the wind dropped silent. It was nice that we honoured them. And then the way that they always cheer, second to none. There is so much of passion when it comes to RCB. Just when the bus comes into the ground, the number of people who are just watching you is a motivation in itself. And then in the ground, the energy. And we are definitely one of the loudest, most cheerful and happiest stadiums to be in. So, it`s a bit full house, and I`m very happy we put up a very good performance.”
Patidar credited Kohli and Padikkal for laying the foundation of the chase
RCB captain Patidar credited Kohli and Padikkal for setting up RCB`s run chase. The duo scored in double quick time to set up the chase for the defending champions.
“The way Devdutt and Virat started, I think that was a good base for us, and after that, it wasn`t as if we wanted to finish early, and the game kept on going, and we kept on scoring runs. Then we decided that we would chase as early as possible. Not easy to chase 200, the way the boys batted was quite phenomenal, they bowled nicely as well,” Patidar said.
RCB head coach Andy Flower lauded the team`s performance, stating, “That was an amazing win. It is, I hear, the fastest chase of 200 in IPL history. So, in our first game in 2026, that`s a great effort. Well done.”
(With ANI Input)
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