Bengaluru, March 28 (NationPress) The reigning champions, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), kicked off their IPL 2026 season with a commanding six-wicket victory against Sunrisers Hyderabad during the eagerly awaited return of competitive cricket at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday.

Batting first on a tricky pitch, SRH relied on captain Ishan Kishan’s dazzling 80 runs off just 38 balls, along with a late surge from Aniket Verma (43 off 18 balls), to set a challenging total of 201/9. Kishan’s fluent batting featured eight fours and five sixes, while Aniket’s aggressive innings helped push the visitors beyond the 200-run mark, despite Jacob Duffy’s remarkable debut figures of 3-22 and Romario Shepherd’s 3-54.

In response, RCB's top order made the chase look effortless. Devdutt Padikkal scored a rapid 61 off 26 balls, including seven fours and four sixes, while Virat Kohli, making his long-awaited return to T20 cricket after ten months, captivated the home crowd with an unbeaten 69 off 38 balls, featuring five fours and five sixes.

Rajat Patidar contributed a swift 31 runs off 12 balls, ensuring the chase was completed with 26 balls to spare. RCB's innings was characterized by aggressive intent from the start. Padikkal reached his fifty in a blistering 21 balls, marking his fastest in IPL history, before being dismissed by Harsh Dubey.

Kohli then took control, showcasing his signature shots—a lofted drive over the bowler’s head, a whip over square leg, and a flat-batted drive through cover—demonstrating his exceptional skill and marking his 64th IPL fifty as SRH's bowlers struggled to contain the scoring.

Veteran left-arm pacer Jaydev Unadkat claimed an early wicket for Sunrisers Hyderabad, dismissing Phil Salt with a length ball that deceived the batter, leading to a catch at mid-off.

In the same over, Padikkal got into rhythm with a six over deep square leg, while Kohli opened his account with a slice over mid-off. Padikkal continued his explosive start, reaching 28 runs off just 10 balls. He greeted David Payne with a six over cover-point, followed by a four and another six, propelling RCB to 51 runs in merely four overs.

Kohli soon joined in on the attack, countering Unadkat’s slower deliveries with powerful shots through cover. Padikkal added two more boundaries as RCB dominated the powerplay, finishing with 73 runs for the loss of just Salt.

Kohli then executed a signature shot against Eshan Malinga, lofting a length ball straight over the bowler's head to electrify the Chinnaswamy crowd. He was given a reprieve on 28 when Heinrich Klaasen misjudged a catch at long-on.

Padikkal continued his assault, reaching a rapid 21-ball half-century before departing for 61, caught at long-off by Dubey. Kohli displayed his wrist strength with a whip over square leg off Harshal Patel and another mighty hit down the ground against Dubey.

Rajat Patidar joined the scoring spree with a well-timed four through backward point and a six over long-on against Patel and Dubey. With Malinga failing to find his lengths, Patidar punished him with a four and two sixes, accumulating 22 runs in the 12th over.

Although Patidar and Jitesh Sharma fell on consecutive balls to Payne, Kohli pressed on to secure his fifty in 33 balls, before Tim David struck two quick boundaries. Kohli then lofted, pulled, and sliced Patel for a six and two fours, finishing the chase with an upper-cut through third man, sealing an emphatic victory.

Earlier, SRH faced a shaky beginning. The innings commenced with drama as Duffy dismissed Abhishek Sharma with a top-edge caught by Jitesh Sharma.

Duffy returned to dismiss Travis Head, who pulled a delivery straight to deep square leg, while Nitish Kumar Reddy followed suit in the same manner, giving RCB an early advantage. Kishan then took command, balancing cautious defense with calculated aggression, rebuilding the innings through crisp strokeplay and punishing loose deliveries from Abhinandan Singh and Suyash Sharma.

His fifty arrived off just 32 balls, as he cleared the boundary effortlessly in a knock featuring eight fours and five sixes. However, RCB bowlers kept chipping away, as Klaasen was caught awkwardly by Phil Salt near the boundary, with some believing he had touched the rope.

As Suyash dismissed Salil Arora, Kishan’s dismissal for a brilliant 80 proved pivotal, with Salt making a spectacular one-handed catch off Abhinandan’s bowling.

Despite Harsh Dubey and Harshal Patel falling cheaply, Aniket reversed the momentum by launching a fearless counterattack filled with three fours and four sixes, mercilessly punishing Shepherd. Although Shepherd eventually claimed Aniket’s wicket in the 19th over, SRH managed to surpass the 200-run mark, setting a challenging target for RCB under the lights, which they ultimately chased down with ease in front of their passionate Chinnaswamy crowd.

Brief Scores: Sunrisers Hyderabad 201/9 in 20 overs (Ishan Kishan 80, Aniket Verma 43; Jacob Duffy 3-22, Romario Shepherd 3-54) lost to Royal Challengers Bengaluru 203/4 in 15.4 overs (Virat Kohli 69 not out, Devdutt Padikkal 61; David Payne 2-35, Jaydev Unadkat 1-29) by six wickets