Defending champions Royal Challengers Bangaluru (RCB) are set to take on Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the opening match of Indian Premier League 2026 on Saturday at M Chinnaswamy Stadium. Notably, last year the stadium witnessed both historic celebrations and heartbreaking tragedy.
RCB, coming off their long-awaited maiden IPL title last season, will begin their campaign with a gesture of respect. The players, as per reports, will wear black armbands during the match to honour the fans who tragically lost their lives in a stampede outside the stadium during post-victory celebrations last year.
Talking about the match, RCB will look to build on the momentum of their historic title-winning campaign, while SRH will be eager to make a strong statement at the start of the season under the leadership of Sunrisers Hyderabad.
RCB likely XII: Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (c), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Jacob Bethell/Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Suyash Sharma, Jacob Duffy, Rasikh Salam
SRH likely XII: Ishan Kishan (c&wk), Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Heinrich Klaasen, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Liam Livingstone, Salil Arora, Aniket Verma, Harsh Dubey, Brydon Carse, Harshal Patel, Jaydev Unadkat