Royal Challengers Bengaluru, the defending champions, will face Sunrisers Hyderabad in the season opener at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium today. After a long wait, RCB finally lifted their first title and will now aim to continue that winning momentum, especially in front of their home crowd.
For SRH, they will try to maximise their key players’ form and will be excited to see new skipper Ishan on how he manages his bowlers in the absence of regular skipper Cummins. With both teams eyeing a start with a win in the opening encounter. The battle between fire vs fire as both teams carry heavy batting line-ups.
RCB return home with a strong core after last season’s title win and will aim to defend their crown. Virat and Salt provide stability at the top, with Venky Iyer strengthening the batting. Rajat Patidar will rely on finishers Jitesh Sharma, Tim David, and Romario Shepherd, while Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Krunal Pandya, and Suyash Sharma lead the bowling attack.
Probable XI: Phil Salt, Virat Kohli, Venkatesh Iyer, Rajat Patidar (c), Jitesh Sharma (WK), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Suyash Sharma, Jacob Duffy.
Impact Player: Mangesh Yadav / Swapnil Singh.
Injured/Not Available Players: Josh Hazlewood will miss the opening few games, Yash Dayal is ruled out of the entire tournament due to personal reasons, while Nuwan Thushara will miss out due to not receiving a NOC from Sri Lanka Cricket.
SRH will miss Pat Cummins for a few matches, affecting their bowling and leadership. Ishan Kishan will lead the batting with support from Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head, while Klaasen, Livingstone, and Nitish Kumar Reddy provide middle-order firepower. Shivam Mavi strengthens the pace attack, with Zeeshan Ansari one to watch.
Probable XI: Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan (C) (WK), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen, Aniket Verma, Liam Livingstone, Harshal Patel, Jaydev Unadkat, Zeeshan Ansari, Eshan Malinga.
Impact Player: Shivam Mavi / Harsh Dubey
Injured/Not Available Players: Pat Cummins will miss starting a few games, while Jack Edward was ruled out of the entire tournament.
Watch Live Streaming : Fans can watch the RCB vs SRH match live on the app and website of JioHotstar.
Toss Time: 7:30 PM
Head to Head: SRH and RCB have faced each other 25 times. SRH have won 13 matches, while RCB have won 11, with one game ending in no result. Last time SRH registered a commanding 42-run victory. Ishan Kishan scored a blazing 94 off 48 balls, setting the tone for a dominant batting display.
Pitch report: M. Chinnaswamy is a top T20 venue for batters as it offers a flat, high-scoring surface with short boundaries and a quick outfield, making it a batter’s paradise. Scores above 190 are common, and with dew likely, chasing could be the preferred option.
Both teams have strong batting line-ups but face similar issues with the absence of key bowlers like Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood. However, RCB’s concerns are bigger, as they are also without Yash Dayal and Nuwan Thushara. For SRH, the focus will be on Ishan Kishan and how he handles the added responsibility, especially in managing the bowlers under a new leadership role.