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The wait for the commencement of the highly anticipated Indian Premier League (IPL) is over.
In the first match of the IPL 2026 against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), Royal Challengers Bengaluru`s (RCB) skipper Rajat Patidar has won the toss and elected to bowl first at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
Considering the likes of Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Heinrich Klaasen, Virat Kohli, and Phil Salt, the clash promises to be a high-scoring game.
After winning the toss, RCB skipper Patidar said, “We`ll bowl first. Of course, there are a lot of positives from last year, but as we go into this season, we are not defending; we`ll try to be champions again in 2026. I think there are a lot of good players in the side and we have proper backups for every position. There`s a good support system and medical team as well. So yeah, everyone is fit and looking forward to this game. Thank you so much for supporting us over the years. We`ll try our best to put a second star on our jersey. There are two new faces – Jacob Duffy and Abhinandan Singh, who are going to play their first match”.
Rajat Patidar-led men will be high on confidence, considering that they have clinched the title in the previous edition. The side will look to begin their title-defending campaign by securing a victory tonight against the Sunrisers.
All the RCB players will wear black armbands to pay tribute to fans, who earlier lost their lives in the stampede outside the stadium following the team`s historic title win in the previous year. Additionally, in the lasting gesture of remembrance, eleven seats at Bengaluru`s stadium will remain unoccupied, serving as a permanent tribute to the fans.
SRH`s regular skipper Pat Cummins will miss the initial matches. The pacer is still recovering from his injury. In his absence, the management provided the leadership duties to Ishan Kishan. Abhishek Sharma has also been appointed as his deputy.
On the other hand, SRH`s captain Kishan said, “Looks like a fresh wicket, doesn`t matter if you bat or bowl first. You don`t need to start doing something new. We need to execute our plans. Everyone looks in good touch”.
It will be interesting to see how Kishan leads the team. The left-handed batsman will enter the cash-rich league on the back of a successful T20 World Cup 2026 campaign. He played a crucial role for Team India in the concluded global showpiece and will look to continue the momentum in the IPL 2026.
IPL 2026, Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Sunrisers Hyderabad: Confirmed Playing XI
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Phil Salt, Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar (C), Jitesh Sharma (WK), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Abhinandan Singh, Jacob Duffy, Suryash Sharma.
Sunrisers Hyderabad: Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan (C) (WK), Heinrich Klaasen, Aniket Verma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Salil Arora, Harsh Dubey, Harshal Patel, Jaydev Unadkar, Eshan Malinga.
(With ANI Inputs)
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