IPL 2026 Today's Match: RCB vs SRH playing 11, batters vs bowlers match-ups

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 kicks off with a blockbuster clash today, with defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) taking on Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. RCB skipper Rajat Patidar wins the toss for the match and invites Ishan Kishan-led SRH to bat first.

IPL 2026: RCB vs MI playing 11  RCB playing 11: Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Rajat Patidar (C), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Abhinandan Singh, Jacob Duffy, Suyash Sharma  Impact players: Devdutt Padikkal, Jacob Bethell, Rasikh Salam, Kanishk Chouhan, Venkatesh Iyer  SRH playing 11: Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan(w/c), Heinrich Klaasen, Aniket Verma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Salil Arora, Harsh Dubey, Harshal Patel, Jaydev Unadkat, Eshan Malinga  Impact players: Shivang Kumar, Liam Livingstone, David Payne, R Smaran, Sakib Hussain 

  RCB enter the campaign brimming with confidence after finally lifting their maiden title last year under Rajat Patidar. With a formidable batting core featuring Virat Kohli, Phil Salt and Tim David, they look well equipped for another strong start, though injuries to key pacers could test their balance. 

IPL 2026 MATCH 1, RCB vs SRH: LIVE SCORE | FULL SCORECARD | PLAYING 11 | LIVE STREAMING

 

 

 

SRH, led by Ishan Kishan, face a contrasting challenge. While their batting remains explosive, the absence of Pat Cummins weakens their bowling attack significantly. Kishan’s leadership will be under the spotlight as he looks to manage limited resources against a RCB line-up, who is missing the services of their key bowlers such as Josh Hazlewood.

 

As both the teams gear up for the IPL 2026 opener, Business Standard takes a look at RCB skipper Rajat Patidar and SRH skipper Ishan Kishan’s captaincy records in the tournament, alongside both the teams' probable playing 11 for the match.

Rajat Patidar’s captaincy record in IPL (RCB)

Rajat Patidar made his captaincy debut in IPL 2025, replacing Faf du Plessis, and in his very first season as IPL captain, he led his team to their maiden title.

• Matches: 16
• Wins: 11
• Losses: 5
• N/R: 0
• Win percentage: 68.75%

Ishan Kishan's captaincy record in IPL (SRH)

Despite being one of the most experienced players in IPL going into the 2026 season, Ishan Kishan will be playing the role of captain for the first time in the tournament. However, the batter will not be in unfamiliar territory, given he led Jharkhand to their maiden Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT) last year.

 

 

RCB squad for IPL 2026:   Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar (C), Devdutt Padikkal, Venkatesh Iyer, Vihaan Malhotra, Kanishk Chouhan, Phil Salt, Jitesh Sharma, Jordan Cox, Krunal Pandya, Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Jacob Bethell, Swapnil Singh, Satwik Deswal, Suyash Sharma, Vicky Ostwal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yash Dayal, Josh Hazlewood, Nuwan Thushara, Rasikh Salam, Jacob Duffy, Mangesh Yadav, Abhinandan Singh

 

SRH squad for IPL 2026:   Travis Head, Ishan Kishan, Heinrich Klaasen, Smaran Ravichandran, Abhishek Sharma, Harsh Dubey, Kamindu Mendis, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Pat Cummins (c), Eshan Malinga, Jaydev Unadkat, Harshal Patel, Salil Arora, Praful Hinge, Liam Livingstone, Shivam Mavi, Jack Edwards, Brydon Carse, Sakib Hussain, Zeeshan Ansari, Aniket Verma, Amit Kumar, Krains Fuletra

IPL 2026: RCB vs SRH key player battles

RCB batters vs SRH bowlers

 

Batter	Bowler	Innings	Balls	Runs	Strike Rate	Dots	4s	6s
Virat Kohli	Jaydev Unadkat	9	64	88	137.5	22	11	2
Virat Kohli	Harshal Patel	10	68	95	139.71	24	10	3
Phil Salt	Harshal Patel	3	18	29	161.11	6	3	2
Phil Salt	Jaydev Unadkat	2	14	21	150	5	3	1
Rajat Patidar	Harshal Patel	4	22	31	140.91	8	4	1
Rajat Patidar	Jaydev Unadkat	3	19	24	126.32	7	3	0
Devdutt Padikkal	Jaydev Unadkat	6	41	44	107.32	18	5	0
Tim David	Harshal Patel	5	27	52	192.59	8	3	5
Jitesh Sharma	Harshal Patel	3	15	28	186.67	4	2	3
Krunal Pandya	Jaydev Unadkat	6	34	39	114.71	12	4	1

 

SRH batters vs RCB bowlers

 

Batter	Bowler	Innings	Balls	Runs	Strike Rate	Dots	4s	6s
Travis Head	Bhuvneshwar Kumar	5	26	38	146.15	8	5	1
Travis Head	Krunal Pandya	4	22	35	159.09	6	4	2
Abhishek Sharma	Krunal Pandya	6	39	61	156.41	14	6	3
Abhishek Sharma	Bhuvneshwar Kumar	5	28	33	117.86	12	4	1
Ishan Kishan	Bhuvneshwar Kumar	11	78	104	133.33	29	12	3
Ishan Kishan	Krunal Pandya	8	46	72	156.52	15	6	4
Heinrich Klaasen	Bhuvneshwar Kumar	6	31	55	177.42	7	5	3
Heinrich Klaasen	Krunal Pandya	5	24	49	204.17	5	4	4
Liam Livingstone	Krunal Pandya	4	18	36	200	4	3	3
Nitish Kumar Reddy	Bhuvneshwar Kumar	2	11	13	118.18	5	2	0

 

---

Check IPL 2026 latest news and statistical video highlights of the day here  Check IPL 2026 full schedule here  Check IPL 2026 points table here