Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) kickstarted their title defence in style, thrashing Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) by six wickets in the IPL 2026 opener at Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday (March 28).

RCB skipper Rajat Patidar won the toss and elected to bowl, and debutant Jacob Duffy picked up three wickets in the powerplay, including the prized scalps of Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head in the same over.

SRH’s interim skipper Ishan Kishan hammered 80 off 38, and together with Aniket Verma's 18-ball 43-run cameo, helped them recover from 29/3 to 201/9 in 20 overs.

RCB made light work of the stiff target, chasing it down in just 15.4 overs. Devdutt Padikkal smashed a 21-ball fifty, eventually departing for 61 off 26, while Patidar produced 31 off just 12. Virat Kohli stayed unbeaten till the end to finish on 69 off 38.

After the win, Patidar praised his team’s collective effort while singling out Kohli’s chase-defining knock and Duffy’s impact with the new ball.

“The way boys played and everybody chipped in was a positive sign. First of all, it was the season opener for us, and the way everybody chipped in and did it for the team, I think that was a very positive sign for us. The way Duffy played his first match and the way he bowled, I think that was really impressive. The way he took the wickets of Head and Abhishek, I think that was the turning point for us,” RCB captain said at the post-match presentation.

Reflecting on his team’s aggressive batting approach, Patidar stated: “Not a policy, but we are assessing the wicket. The wicket was good to bat on. The way Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal played their innings, I think that laid a solid base for the other batsmen. So we’ll just keep continuing to do that.”

He further remarked: “I think there are no words for him (Kohli). Every time he goes in, especially when the team is chasing, he delivers as the number one batter. The way he played and stayed till the end was outstanding.”

Patidar also lauded Phil Salt for his magnificent catch to dismiss Kishan, who was threatening to take the game away from RCB.

“It was a terrific catch by Phil Salt. Even I was surprised! But as you know, he’s a very good fielder. I’ve seen him take many catches in the air, so that was a brilliant effort,” Patidar concluded.