IPL 2026 First Match Today: The Indian Premier League—renowned as the “Cricket Mahakumbh”—is set to kick off today, March 28th. The IPL will commence at 7:30 PM at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, without an opening ceremony. In this contest, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Sunrisers Hyderabad teams will face off against one another.
Great excitement is palpable among both fans and players regarding the match. The opening clash between RCB and Hyderabad is expected to be a thrilling affair, as both teams will be keen to kickstart their season with a victory at all costs. Now, the focus shifts to the playing elevens. Below, we explore the probable playing elevens for both teams.
How Strong is RCB’s Position?
Taking the field as the defending champions, the RCB team appears to be in a very strong position this season. For RCB, Virat Kohli is likely to take the field as an opening batsman. In the middle order, Captain Rajat Patidar and Devdutt Padikkal are expected to play pivotal roles.
The responsibility for finishing the innings will rest on the shoulders of Tim David and Romario Shepherd. In the bowling department—and in the absence of Josh Hazlewood—a significant burden of responsibility will fall upon Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Krunal Pandya. Hazlewood is currently in Australia, working on recovering from an injury and regaining full fitness. RCB may have to rely heavily on the explosive bowler Bhuvneshwar Kumar, spinners Krunal Pandya and Suyash Sharma, and the left-arm pacer Mangesh Yadav.
Will Hyderabad Feel the Absence of This Player?
The 18th season of the IPL was not particularly memorable for Sunrisers Hyderabad. Finishing in the 6th spot on the points table, the team failed to even secure a place in the semi-finals. This time around, Hyderabad is hopeful of a much-improved performance. Sunrisers’ captain, Pat Cummins, will not be part of the squad during the initial phase of the tournament; Ishan Kishan has been appointed as the acting captain. Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma could provide an explosive start in the opening overs.
Check out the probable playing elevens for both teams, RCB
Phil Salt, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (Captain), Jitesh Sharma (Wicketkeeper), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Romario Shepherd, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Suyash Sharma, Jacob Duffy.
Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Playing Eleven
Heinrich Klaasen, Ishan Kishan (Captain), Anmolpreet Verma, Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Liam Livingstone, Harshal Patel, Jaydev Unadkat, Brydon Carse, Shivam Mavi.