IPL T20 cricket is finally here. While looking at how the Royal Challengers Bengaluru are lining up has taken a good chunk of fans’ spare time, now they can see them in action against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
While some sports fans will spend their mental energy on MLB, NFL, NHL, or NBA drama, T20 cricket is one of the most exciting sporting events around.
On March 28th, 2026, the IPL will start its newest season. Royal Challengers Bengaluru will face the Sunrisers Hyderabad. It will take place at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, with J Madanagopal and Ulhas Gandhe operating as the on-field umpires. The third umpire will be Rohan Pandit.
The match is scheduled for 7:30 PM IST.
Here are the match predictions, starting XI notes (including Phil Salt potentially missing the match), weather report, and ticket information ahead of today’s cricket match.
RCB vs SRH Tickets on Sale For IPL 2026 Start Date
The RCB social media team has announced that tickets are on sale for the IPL 2026 start date match. Here is everything you need to know.
- The RCB website and app are the only places to purchase tickets.
- All ticket purchasers receive a free Metro Ride.
- M-Ticket includes all the important information: entry gate, inner gate, row, & seat number.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Sunrisers Hyderabad Match Predictions
Here are some quick notes about the matchup and venue.
- Head-to-Head Record: RCB-11 wins, SRH-14 wins
- Venue: Batting first vs second has a split record (6-6)
- Average 1st innings score at the venue: 186
- Average powerplay score: 56
- Venue bowling (Pace 75 % to Spin 25%)
RCB vs SRH 2025
Looking at the last time these two teams faced each other, things didn’t end well for RCB. SRH won the match by 42 runs. The final score was 231/6 to 189.
In that match, the SRH captain, Pat Cummins, recorded a three-wicket haul, finishing with a 3/28 figure. Now, for today’s match, SRH is missing Cummins, while RCB is missing Josh Hazlewood.
Virat Kohli & Phil Salt Will Be Huge X-Factor
RCB fans are excited to see the opening partnership of Phil Salt and Virat Kohli. Reddy Anna Sport Club is predicting a very high score for RCB if the opening partnership can capitalize on the powerplay.
“The opening combination of Kohli and Salt is already exciting fans,” the outlet wrote. “If these two can get going in the power play, the scoreboard will move very quickly. In the middle order, Patidar and Tim David are ready to finish, and they can finish matches on a batting pitch like Chinnaswamy.”
However, RCB is going to have its hands full with the top of the SRH’s batting order.
“SRH, on the other hand, has a completely different style – full attacking,” the outlet continued. “Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma put the bowlers under pressure in the powerplay itself. Klaasen is the biggest match-winner in the middle order, and Ishan Kishan and Livingstone strengthen the batting.”
High Scoring Opening IPL Match?
“The pitch is also batting-friendly, and with short boundaries, this match is going to be high-scoring. 180 is a normal score here, but 200 is considered safe.”
Starting off the IPL with a high-scoring match featuring the reigning IPL champions would be one of the most entertaining ways to launch the new season.
This matchup is fairly even, as far as Google is concerned. They give RCB a slight edge, with a 54 percent winning probability. Additionally, they have given Sunrisers Hyderabad a 46% chance of winning.
Predicted Starting XI’s For IPL 2026’s Start Date
Here are the starting XI’s for RCB and SRH in their opening IPL matches against each other.
- Virat Kohli
- Phil Salt
- Rajat Patidar (C)
- Jitesh Sharma (WK)
- Tim David
- Romario Shepherd
- Krunal Pandya
- Bhuvneshwar Kumar
- Abhinandan Kumar
- Jacob Duffy
- Suyash Sharma
Sunrisers Hyderabad XI
- Abhishek Sharma
- Travis Head
- Ishan Kishan (WK)
- Heinrich Klaasen
- Aniket Verma
- Nitish Kumar Reddy
- Salil Arora
- Harsh Dubey
- Harshal Patel
- Jaydev Unadkat
- Eshan Malinga
Weather Report For IPL 2026 Opening Date
At the time of this writing, the projected high is 28 degrees Celsius. There is a three percent chance of precipitation. Additionally, there will be a slight wind during the late afternoon and evening. The wind will be 8 km/h with gusts up to 20 km/h.
The conditions look good for the opening match of the 2026 IPL season.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Sunrisers Hyderabad: Predictions, Starting XI, & More