RCB vs SRH Live Score

6:20 PM IST Opening night ends with a statement - That brings us to the end of the curtain-raiser of IPL 2026, where the defending champions, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, brushed aside the 2024 finalists Sunrisers Hyderabad in emphatic fashion. A statement win to kick things off, and they’ve well and truly set the tone for the season ahead. Up next, we have a blockbuster clash lined up as two heavyweights go head-to-head, with the Mumbai Indians taking on the Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium on 29th March, Sunday. That one gets underway at 2 pm GMT (7.30 pm IST), and promises to be an absolute cracker. You can, of course, join us a little early for all the buildup, analysis, and team news. It’s goodbye for now and see you soon!

6:13 PM IST Happy with the win - Rajat Patidar, the victorious skipper of Royal Challengers Bengaluru, says that the boys played really well. Adds that it was the opening game and Duffy was simply excellent with the ball, picking up the wickets of Head and Abhishek. Abhinandan Singh was also playing his first game and did well. Mentions that there are no words to describe Kohli, he is the number one batter while chasing and stayed there till the end. Further adds that Phil Salt was brilliant in the field, and it didn't surprise him to see him take such blinders. Ends by saying that he just tried to make as much impact as he could with the bat.

6:07 PM IST PLAYER OF THE THE MATCH - Jacob Duffy wins the award for his incredible spell of 3/22. He describes it as an awesome experience to make his IPL debut, adding that he had heard a lot of good things about Bengaluru and the Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Duffy shares that the new ball did a bit, and he feels lucky to be able to contribute to the team's effort. He jokingly mentions that he is just keeping Josh Hazlewood’s seat warm.  Jacob also cheekily adds that it was a bonus to be able to walk off after completing his four overs, thanks to the impact player rule. Duffy notes that it was a different kind of wicket, with more bounce than he has seen in India over the past couple of months. The Kiwi pacer admits that Bengaluru is not the easiest place for bowlers, but says he is learning on the run. Reckons that the best time to bowl was when the ball was hard and new.

5:59 PM IST We need to be better with the ball - The skipper of Sunrisers Hyderabad, Ishan Kishan says the wicket played nicely, with the ball coming on well to the bat. He feels they need to be smart with their shot selection, but takes heart from the way the side recovered after losing early wickets. Kishan also praises the RCB batters for the way they played, especially Virat Kohli, adding that you need to get him out early because once he gets going, he becomes unstoppable. Ishan believes that mistakes are acceptable at this stage of the tournament, but admits they need to be better with the ball. He remains confident the team will come back stronger. On captaincy, he says he thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

5:59 PM IST Presentation time...

5:58 PM IST Power meets precision - Earlier in the game, Sunrisers Hyderabad posted a strong total despite their explosive openers failing, thanks largely to a 97-run stand between skipper Ishan Kishan and Heinrich Klaasen, with Kishan leading the charge through a blistering 80 off 38 balls. Their dismissals at a crucial stage stalled the momentum slightly, though Aniket Verma’s quickfire 43 off 18 pushed SRH past 200, which still felt a touch under par on a batting-friendly surface. For Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Jacob Duffy starred on debut with an excellent 3/22, bowling his four overs on the trot, while Shepherd also picked up three wickets despite being expensive, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Abhinandan Singh, and Suyash Sharma chipped in with a wicket each.