RCB vs SRH Predicted Playing 11, IPL 2026 Live Updates: Bengaluru gears up for season opener

IPL 2026, RCB vs SRH Predicted Playing 11 Today Match, Players List, Live Score Updates: RCB players will be sporting black armbands today in memory of the 11 fans that died in the stampede last year outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium while celebrating the franchise's first IPL title.

IPL 2026, RCB vs SRH Team Predicted Playing 11 for Today Match Live Updates: Royal Challengers Bengaluru begin their defence of the Indian Premier League title with a home game against the Sunrisers Hyderabad. It promises to be a day with plenty of runs, considering the Chinnaswamy Stadium’s short boundaries and SRH batters’ long six-hitting capacities. Not to mention the absence of pacers like Pat Cummins (for SRH) and Josh Hazlewood (for RCB).

RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 LIVE Cricket Score, Full Scorecard: Watch Here

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So far, only Chennai Super Kings (2010, 2011) and Mumbai Indians (2019, 2020) have managed to win back-to-back IPL titles in 18 seasons of the league. Can RCB join that list this season by going all the way again? Old hand AB de Villiers certainly believes so. If RCB have to win a title again, they will need their talisman Virat Kohli to goo off again like he did in IPL 2025, scoring 657 runs in 15 matches — with half-centuries in eight of those games — at a strike rate of 144.71.

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Scroll down to follow all our live updates from the RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 opener:

Live Updates
Mar 28, 2026 03:56 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Updates: Why RCB players will wear black armbands today

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have announced a series of initiatives ahead of their first home game of IPL 2026 at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday, paying tribute to the 11 fans who lost their lives in the June 4 stampede last year.

As part of a tribute, RCB players will wear jersey number 11 during the warm-up session, while black armbands will be worn during the match against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Additionally, 11 seats inside the stadium will be deliberately left unoccupied as a mark of respect and remembrance.

Mar 28, 2026 03:48 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Updates: After record IPL deals involving RCB and RR, experts warn of 'investment bubble'

Analysts and sports business experts have warned of an 'investment bubble' after Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru were sold for a combined value of $3.41 billion on Tuesday.

Santosh N, managing partner at D&P Advisory, said it was 'difficult to understand' the valuations of the two teams — averaging $1.7 billion — especially since the Torrent Group 'acquired Gujarat Titans at a value less than a billion dollars'.

As Santosh noted, IPL team revenues run between 'Rs 700 to 800 crores' per season. "Rs 500 crores comes from central pool revenue, which is the broadcast money. And each team has anywhere around Rs 200 to 300 crores of sponsorship, ticketing and merchandise revenue. So we are talking about a 700 to 800 crores sort of revenue, which is less than a hundred million dollars — and yet these teams are getting valued at around 1.7 billion dollars, which is almost 20x revenue," he said.

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Mar 28, 2026 03:34 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Updates: Why Americans are pouring money into IPL

Before the IPL 2026 season started came the big moves in the boardroom: Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru had found new owners.

The RCB franchise was reportedly sold for $1.78 billion (?166.6 billion) to a consortium led by the Aditya Birla Group, along with the Times of India Group, Bolt Ventures, and Blackstone.

As Mihir Vasavda writes, driving these soaring valuations is a clear common thread: American capital.

Rajasthan’s new ownership group includes US-based entrepreneur Kal Somani, Walmart heir Rob Walton — who also owns NFL franchise the Denver Broncos — and the Ham family, owners of the Detroit Lions.

RCB has been acquired by the Aditya Birla Group and the Times Group alongside US-based firms Bolt Ventures and Blackstone. Bolt Ventures is led by prominent sports investor David Blitzer, whose portfolio spans multiple leagues and continents — from the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers and the NHL’s New Jersey Devils to the Premier League’s Crystal Palace and MLS side Real Salt Lake.

So why are Americans interested in IPL teams? We explain

Mar 28, 2026 03:18 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Updates: A quick look at RCB squad for this season

RCB chose to retain 17 players from their IPL title-winning side. They released England all-rounder Liam Livingstone and South Africa fast bowler Lungi Ngidi, along with Manoj Bhandage, Mayank Agarwal, Mohit Rathee and Sachin Baby.

RCB squad: Rajat Patidar (captain), Virat Kohli, Tim David, Jacob Bethell, Romario Shepherd, Josh Hazlewood, Nuwan Thushara, Devdutt Padikkal, Jitesh Sharma, Krunal Pandya, Rasikh Dar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jordan Cox, Suyash Sharma, Venkatesh Iyer, Swapnil Singh, Jacob Duffy, Kanishk Chouhan, Abhinandan Singh, Mangesh Yadav, Phil Salt, Satvik Deswal, Vicky Ostwal, Vihaan Malhotra.

Mar 28, 2026 03:14 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Updates: When will RCB play at Chinnaswamy Stadium?

After last year's stampede while celebrating thier maiden IPL title, RCB will play just five home games at Bengaluru's Chinnaswamy Stadium, including today's game.

The other games and opponents are: Chennai Super Kings (April 5), Lucknow Super Giants (April 15), Delhi Capitals (April 18), and Gujarat Titans (April 24).

Mar 28, 2026 03:03 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Updates: The importance of Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli was the centrepiece of Royal Challengers Bengaluru winning the IPL 2025 title last time around. He top scored for the franchise in IPL 2025 with 657 runs in 15 matches at a strike rate of 144.71 with eight half-centuries.

As SRH captain, who will be MIA for today’s game, pointed out in a podcast conversation recently: “Virat Kohli seemed to play a bit more aggressively last season and probably scored more runs because of it.”

Mar 28, 2026 02:51 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Updates: A quick look at Sunrisers Hyderabad squad for this season

SRH are without captain Pat Cummins at the start of the season, so Ishan Kishan is at the helm. SRH also let go of players like Mohd Shami, Adam Zampa and Rahul Chahar.

SRH full squad: Pat Cummins(C), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Travis Head, Heinrich Klaasen, Aniket Verma, Smaran Ravichandran, Salil Arora, Harshal Patel, Kamindu Mendis, Harsh Dubey, Brydon Carse, Shivang Kumar, Krainis Fuletra, Liam Livingstone, Jack Edwards, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Zeeshan Ansari, Jaydev Unadkat, Eshan Malinga, Sakib Hussain, Onkar Tarmale, Amit Kumar, Praful Hinge, Shivam Mavi.

Mar 28, 2026 02:43 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Updates: On Ishan Kishan, the interim captain of SRH

While Pat Cummins races to get fighting fit, the Sunrisers Hyderabad have installed Ishan Kishan as the stand-in captain. As Devendra Pandey writes, 'It is borrowed time. But borrowed time has a way of revealing character.'

With tales from his stint as captain of the Jharkhand cricket team--Kishan took over Jharkhand’s captaincy earlier this year--we try to piece together what SRH can expect from Ishan Kishan, the captain.

Those who have watched Kishan closely over the last two years describe a man most people haven’t seen.

As Sunny Gupta, assistant coach of Jharkhand, recounted: “People perceive him as a laughing boy but he is different when it comes to planning,” Gupta says. “He will sit studying opponents — mapping each player, watching endless video — before concluding his meeting. Sometimes two hours before he’s done.”

The laughing face is real. So is the two-hour meeting.

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Mar 28, 2026 02:30 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Updates: The story behind Abhishek Sharma's nickname 'puli'

Over the last few years, the Punjabi munda Abhishek Sharma has become a Hyderabadi boy, thanks to those smashing starts he's given to the franchise at the top of the order. Along the way, he's also earned a nickname: 'puli'. It has a ring to it, like 'thala' for MS Dhoni, or 'chetta' for Sanju Samson.

Puli means tiger in Telugu.

In local parlance, puli is referred to anyone who is daring, or shows courage. Hyderabad, of course, is the (cricketing) home of Indian cricket’s real 'tiger', the inimitable Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi.

The genesis of the nickname is uncertain (and most likely a marketing trick), but SRH has been going overdrive in drilling the name.

Here's a bit more on Abhishek 'Puli' Sharma's nickname

Mar 28, 2026 02:17 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Updates: So SRH have an issue in their bowling attack?

Sunrisers Hyderabad have a formidable batting attack loaded with the likes of Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Heinrich Klaasen and Ishan Kishan. But their bowling attack without skipper Pat Cummins and released Mohd Shami will be a point of concern.

As former India cricketer Aakash Chopra pointed out on his YouTube channel: "How they manage the bowling will be a challenge because if they score 250, they might concede 250. Their bowling looks like that. Unfortunately, that much might is not being seen in their bowling.”

He added: "There will be challenges because the SRH bowling has been dealt a serious blow. Pat Cummins was already not there. So the bowling was already slightly weak, and if Eshan Malinga is also not there, it means you will have to play Brydon Carse, or else you won’t be able to play with Indian bowling. When I see their bowling, it has Amit Kumar, Praful Hinge, Sakib Hussain, Omkar Tarmale, Jaydev Unadkat, Zeeshan Ansari, Harshal Patel, Shivam Mavi, Shivang Kumar and Harsh Dubey, but the bowling is weak. How they manage the bowling will be a challenge because if they score 250, they might concede 250. Their bowling looks like that. Unfortunately, that much might is not being seen in their bowling.”

Mar 28, 2026 02:10 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Updates: Can SRH summit Mount 300?

Last season, SRH breached the 250-run mark twice, in their first game of the season (vs Rajasthan) and in their final match (vs Delhi Daredevils). That game against RR saw them smash 286 in their 20 overs. Can they summit Mount 300 this time around?

Mar 28, 2026 02:01 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Updates: Did you know?

Sunrisers ended IPL 2025 as the only team, who finished with a run rate of over ten per over. But SRH also had the third-worst economy rate of 9.9, behind Lucknow Super Giants and Rajasthan Royals.

(Stats via ESPNCricinfo)

Mar 28, 2026 01:53 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Updates: What were SRH thinking?

One of the curiosities of the IPL auction before IPL 2026 was SRH pouring Rs 13 crore on Liam Livingstone. This was just over half of the budget they had in the IPL auction. What made the decision curious was that the England allrounder has been out of the national team's T20 plans for a year now. He has also not played important roles in T20 leagues since the Vitality Blast in September 2025.

With players like Heinrich Klassen, Travis Head and Pat Cummins, SRH more or less knew which foreign players they would want in the playing XIs. So how much game time will Livingstone get once Cummins comes back to playing status?

Mar 28, 2026 01:40 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Updates: Virat Kohli to bowl?

Virat Kohli finally ended an 18-year wait for his maiden IPL title last year. The India great batted with a renewed purpose in IPL 2025.

After the heroics of IPL 2025, will we see Kohli doing something different this year? Like turning his arm over to bowl a few during the game?

Why not?

Kohli’s been bowling in the nets for sure, recently throwing down balls at his opening partner Phil Salt.

A report on the RCB website said that Kohli even tried to bounce out Salt, but the opener just ducked one and pulled the other!

Mar 28, 2026 01:33 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Updates: Pat Cummins on SRH's batting

Speaking on the Business of Sport podcast recently, Pat Cummins pointed out that SRH's batting was not constructed for consistency, but shock and awe.

“It’s very deliberate. We’ve deliberately set up the team to be super aggressive. We’re not aiming to be consistent; we’re aiming to blow other teams out of the water, hopefully in more games than not.”

Cummins pointed out how that evolution had come about.

“When T20 cricket first started, everyone looked to Test cricket as a model, treating it like a faster version of that format. You still wanted your batters to bat through the innings, taking their first 10 or 20 balls to build an innings that way. I don’t think that really makes sense in T20 cricket anymore. In fact, I think in some Test matches it doesn’t even make sense, which seemed to be a lot of the conversation around the Ashes series this summer,” Cummins said.

“We are pretty deliberate in that we bat very deep. There is a change of rule as well—we essentially get an extra batter nowadays. Pitches are very good, and I think players, particularly the young guys, are just learning just how good they are; they surprise themselves. Even someone like Virat Kohli seemed to play a bit more aggressively last season and probably scored more runs because of it. It seems to be a format where the more aggressive you are, the more things seem to fall in your favor. We really lean into that style. It’s also a lot more fun to just let them loose.”

Mar 28, 2026 01:32 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Updates: Tension between Test and franchise T20 cricket

In the Business of Sport podcast recently, Australia and SRH star Pat Cummins opened up about the existing issues between playing Tests for Australia and leagues like The Hundred.

"Some of our guys are saying no to a half a million pounds for 20 days' work (at The Hundred) to go and play those two Test matches against Bangladesh," Cummins told the Business of Sport podcast.

"It's at a tension point. It has been for a while, but I think it's only growing.

"Something we speak about is how do we make sure we've got our best Australian guys to choose from when we're picking a Test side or an ODI side, because there is so much demand for them elsewhere."

Mar 28, 2026 01:31 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Updates: AB de Villiers believes that RCB can win two or three trophies in a row

Cricket legend AB de Villiers believes his old team Royal Challengers Bengaluru can use the IPL 2025 title as a launchpad for winning multiple titles in a row.

"I feel RCB are in that zone now where they can go bang, bang, bang - perhaps two or three trophies in a row. Who knows? I am just hoping for a really strong start this season; that will be crucial for them. My advice to Virat would be to just go out there and enjoy,” de Villiers said on JioStar

Mar 28, 2026 01:31 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Updates: Will RCB send out Jacob Duffy?

With pace spearhead Josh Hazlewood out injured at least for the initial phase of the IPL 2026, RCB picked up New Zealand pacer Duffy for his base price of Rs 2 crore.

In an illuminating video by RCB discussing their strategy ahead of the auctions, it became apparent that the conversation in the think tank was whether to replace Josh Hazlewood if he wasn't available, or to have two bowlers sharing the workload.

It was coach Andy Flower and RCB’s Director of Cricket Mo Bobat who decided that RCB should pursue at least two bowlers who could share Hazlewood's workload if he were unavailable.

During the discussion, RCB captain Rajat Patidar pointed out how he had played against Duffy in the past. Patidar spoke highly of Duffy's outswinging balls to right-handers. Flower too was keen on adding someone with Duffy’s height to the pace mix due to his high delivery point.

Mar 28, 2026 01:30 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Updates: What to expect in today’s game?

Runs, plenty of them. Because of three reasons:

The Chinnaswamy Stadium’s notoriously short boundaries

The Sunrisers Hyderabad batting line-up that comes loaded with players like Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Heinrich Klaasen and Ishan Kishan

Both teams don’t have pace spearheads available, with SRH captain Pat Cummins and RCB’s Josh Hazlewood out injured.

Mar 28, 2026 01:30 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Updates: No opening ceremony today

Reports indicate that there will be no opening ceremony at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. It’s because of the tragic stampede in Bengaluru during last year’s victory celebrations for RCB’s maiden title.

Mar 28, 2026 12:57 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Updates: Which young Indian players could step up for RCB this season?

When RCB’s Director of Cricket, Mo Bobat, spoke recently at a pre-tournament press conference, he named three players: Rasikh Dar, Abhinandan Singh and Mangesh Yadav.

“Rasikh, who many of you will know. Abhinandan also had been there last year. And then we also signed Mangesh in this auction. So, domestically we have three excellent potential options that we're facing. So, it's obviously a blow losing a player like Yash (Dayal). That's obvious, he's been an important part of us for the last couple of years. But we're very confident in the options we've got in the squad. And we will select a team accordingly,” Bobat said.

Mar 28, 2026 12:51 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Updates: What’s Pat Cummins up to?

Just like his Australia teammate Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins is out injured and will miss the RCB vs SRH game. Cummins is expected to be sidelined for the first half of the IPl 2026 season due to injury, so Ishan Kishan has been named interim captain.

“I’m back bowling in the nets,” Cummins told the Business of Sport recently. “The IPL is starting soon. I won’t make the start of that, but it shouldn’t be too long before I’m back out there playing. I’m back bowling. I’m bowling basically every third day at the moment. We’ve mapped out a plan to get me right by middle of the tournament, so hopefully, if nothing goes wrong, I’ll play the back half plus the finals.”

Mar 28, 2026 12:12 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 Live Updates: What is up with Josh Hazlewood?

Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood had an IPL to remember last time around—claiming 22 wickets at an economy rate of 8.77—as the RCB strode to the IPL 2025 title. This time, while he is still part of the franchise, he will be missing from the start of the season due to an Achilles injury.

At their pre-tournament press conference, RCB’s Director of Cricket, Mo Bobat, spoke about Hazlewood's availability.

“So, as most people would know, Josh has missed quite a bit of cricket recently with injuries. So he's currently working through a return to play programme. He's doing that in Australia currently. We are liaising very closely with both Josh and Cricket Australia. And our medical teams are collaborating very strongly on a day-to-day basis on this programme,” Bobat said.

Bobat added, “We'll continue to communicate with him. And as soon as he gets to a point where Cricket Australia are happy, he'll come over. And we hope to have him with us very soon.”

Mar 28, 2026 12:12 PM IST
IPL 2026 Live Updates: Hello and welcome!

Here, we go! The much-awaited start of the IPL season 19 is here with the defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru hosting the Sunrisers Hyderabad at Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium.

RCB to keep 11 seats permanently vacant during IPL games at Chinnaswamy Stadium to honour stampede victims

Nearly ten months after a stampede outside M Chinnaswamy Stadium claimed eleven lives during the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) men’s team’s maiden Indian Premier League (IPL) title celebrations, the franchise and the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) are planning a series of tributes to honour the victims, timed to coincide with the start of the title defence this Saturday.

On June 4, 2025, chaos erupted outside the stadium when thousands of fans gathered for RCB’s celebratory events following their first-ever IPL trophy win. After the stampede and the deaths, the franchise faced widespread criticism for proceeding with celebrations that drew massive crowds without the requisite security clearances.

Speaking to the media Tuesday, RCB chief executive officer (CEO) Rajesh Menon confirmed that all players will wear jersey number 11 during their pre-match practice session on game days throughout the IPL. They will also wear black armbands.

“We are also looking at 11 permanent seats in Chinnaswamy Stadium forever. This is for the 11 fans who will be with us forever,” he added.

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