RCB start IPL title defence with emphatic win over Sunrisers

Add as a preferred source on Google

Royal Challengers Bengaluru started their Indian Premier League title defence with a six-wicket victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Virat Kohli scored an unbeaten 69 in the 2026 season opener, with Devdutt Padikkal and Jacob Duffy also playing key roles as RCB easily chased down a target of 202 with 26 balls to spare.

Duffy (3-22) made a strong impression on his IPL debut, removing dangermen Travis Head (11), Abhishek Sharma (7) and Nitish Kumar Reddy (1) inside the powerplay to leave Sunrisers teetering at 49-3 after six overs.

Hyderabad skipper Ishan Kishan fought back, however, smashing 80 off just 38 balls before Phil Salt pulled off a sensational one-handed diving catch in the deep to dismiss him, though Aniket Varma's quickfire 43 off 18 helped set a total of 201-9.

Despite taking three brilliant catches earlier in the match, Salt (8) could not make an impact with the bat in RCB's chase, falling to Jaydev Unadkat (1-29) in the second over.

It mattered little, though, as Padikkal struck 61 off 26 deliveries before a flurry of boundaries from Kohli sealed an impressive victory for the reigning champions.

Following their maiden IPL triumph last season, RCB made an ideal start to their title defence in front of their home crowd.

This was the first of 70 group games this year, with the group stage running until May 24 and the first qualifier match taking place two days later.

The final will take place on May 31, with the venues for the play-off matches yet to be announced.

The IPL action continues with Mumbai Indians against Kolkata Knight Riders on Sunday, before Rajasthan Royals take on Channai Super Kings on Monday.

Data Debrief: Kohli and RCB throw down the gauntlet

RCB announced themselves as serious contenders for the title once again, recording the fastest chase of a 200+ score in IPL history (26 balls to spare).

And it was no surprise that Kohli was at the heart of things for RCB.

Kohli has scored the most runs in IPL history (8730), while he also has the most 50+ scores in the competition (72).