2 min readMar 27, 2026 04:42 PM IST
RCB vs SRH IPL 2026: Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru are set to get the Indian Premier League 2026 season underway with the tournament opener against SunRisers Hyderabad at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday.
Buoyant by their maiden title triumph, RCB have embraced a rare flavour of stability in their squad, and they enter the 2026 edition with a vaunted batting attack. With injuries and lack of playing time, the bowling attack lists a couple of worrying spots as they go up against a strong SRH batting group on their high-scoring home ground.
The ideal XI
With their seam spearhead, Josh Hazlewood, yet to regain full fitness and adequate bowling time, RCB will have a few headaches around their combinations for the tournament opener. While they have snapped up Kiwi strike bowler Jacob Duffy, the New Zealand paceman’s limited game time in the World Cup could be a potential factor. RCB will then be primed to go in with a stacked batting order, armed by the lower-order muscle from Tim David and Romario Shepherd, besides Englishmen Phil Salt and Jacob Bethell taking the other overseas slots.
The core of the batting group will remain on the shoulders of the legendary Virat Kohli and skipper Rajat Patidar, who will take the number three slot. With wicket-keeper Jitesh Sharma, David, Shepherd and Krunal Pandya in their ranks, RCB’s middle-order could rank among the most potent in the tournament this season.
RCB probable XI: Phil Salt, Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar (c), Jacob Bethell, Venkatesh Iyer, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Mangesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Impact Sub – Suyash Sharma.
RCB IPL 2026 Full squad: Rajat Patidar (captain), Virat Kohli, Tim David, Jacob Bethell, Romario Shepherd, Josh Hazlewood, Nuwan Thushara, Devdutt Padikkal, Jitesh Sharma, Krunal Pandya, Rasikh Dar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jordan Cox, Suyash Sharma, Venkatesh Iyer, Swapnil Singh, Jacob Duffy, Kanishk Chouhan, Abhinandan Singh, Mangesh Yadav, Phil Salt, Satvik Deswal, Vicky Ostwal, Vihaan Malhotra.
