IPL 2026: RCB win toss; opts to bowl against SRH in tournament opener
Bengaluru, March 28
Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru won the toss and decided to field against the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the tournament opener at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday.
At 27 years and 253 days, Ishan Kishan, who is the stand-in captain of Sunrisers, became franchises' second-youngest skipper, behind Kane Williamson (27y, 244d) in 2018.
After winning the toss, RCB skipper Rajat Patidar said they will try their best to put a second star on the jersey.
"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," Patidar said.
After losing the toss, Hyderabad stand-in skipper Ishan Kishan said they will try to execute their plans against the defending champions.
"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," Kishan said.
Playing XI of both teams:
Sunrisers Hyderabad (Playing XI): Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan(w/c), Heinrich Klaasen, Aniket Verma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Salil Arora, Harsh Dubey, Harshal Patel, Jaydev Unadkat, Eshan Malinga.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (Playing XI): Virat Kohli, Philip Salt, Rajat Patidar(c), Jitesh Sharma(w), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Abhinandan Singh, Jacob Duffy, Suyash Sharma.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Excited to see the new faces, Abhinandan Singh and Jacob Duffy. Hope they get a good debut. But honestly, the batting looks a bit thin after Kohli and Salt. Fingers crossed!
Ishan Kishan as captain for SRH is interesting. Young leader. But their bowling attack looks stronger on paper with Harshal and Unadkat. RCB's decision will be judged by the first 10 overs.
As a neutral fan, this is a fantastic opener! Two strong teams. Patidar's "we are not defending, we'll try to be champions again" is the right mindset. Should be a cracker of a match.
Where is the Indian pace backup? RCB relying on Bhuvi and two new overseas pacers? Our domestic talent pool is deep, would have liked to see a young Indian pacer given a chance. Just my two paise.
The atmosphere must be electric in Bengaluru! Wishing both teams the best. May the best team win. But secretly, my heart is with RCB. 💙 #EeSaalaCupNamde... again!
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