RCB Vs SRH Predicted XIs, IPL 2026: Check Out The Likely Playing XIs Of Both Teams For Today's Match

Reigning champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru will take on the explosive Sunrisers Hyderabad in the first match of the Indian Premier League 2026 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday, March 28, 2026.

Both teams will enter the 19th edition of the best cricketing league in the world with a power-packed batting line-up and an intention to breach the much-anticipated 300-run mark on a batting haven like the Chinnaswamy. However, it's the bowling department, where the think tanks of both teams have a look at.

Both teams will be without the services of their marquee pacers - Josh Hazlewood (RCB) and Pat Cummins (SRH). So, it won't be wrong to say that today's contest will be the battle of batters.

On the opening front, both teams are almost equally matched. While RCB has the successful pair of Phil Salt and Virat Kohli in their ranks, SRH boasts of left-handed dynamos in the form of Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma.

In the middle-order, there's also no dearth of explosiveness as RCB possess Rajat Patidar, Jitesh Sharma, and Tim David, while SRH will counter them with the likes of Heinrich Klaasen, Ishan Kishan, and Nitish Kumar Reddy.

Amid the batting frenzy, it's the frail bowling line-up of both teams that is the worrying factor. In the absence of Josh Hazlewood, RCB will be relying on Romario Shephard, Rasikh Salam Dar, and untested Mangesh Yadav.

On the other hand, SRH will rely heavily on the shoulders of Jaydev Unadkat, Harshal Patel, and Brydon Carse to handle the bowling front. Given the options at hand, let's us try to decipher, what the best possible playing XI for both teams in today's match could be:

RCB Vs SRH, IPL 2026: Likely Playing XIs

Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Phil Salt, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, RM Patidar (C), JM Sharma (wk), Tim David, KH Pandya, Romario Shepherd, B Kumar, Suyash Sharma, Jacob Duffy

Sunrisers Hyderabad: H Klaasen, Ishan Kishan (C), A Verma, TM Head, Abhishek Sharma, K Nitish Kumar Reddy, LS Livingstone, HV Patel, Jaydev Unadkat, BA Carse, Shivam Mavi

RCB Vs SRH, IPL 2026: Last Meeting

The last time the team faced each other, Sunrisers Hyderabad won the game comprehensively by 42 runs. Ishan Kishan played a blistering 94-run knock of just 48 balls to take SRH to a mammoth 231/6 in 20 overs.

In response, despite an 80-run opening stand by Phil Salt (62) and Virat Kohli (43), RCB were bundled for 189.

In head-to-head encounters also, SRH have had the upper hand over RCB, winning 13 matches against 11, while 2 matches have ended in a draw.

RCB Vs SRH, IPL 2026: Top Performers

Virat Kohli

When it comes to consistency, Virat Kohli's record is unmatched against Sunrisers Hyderabad as well. He is the leading run-scorer among both teams with 805 runs at an average of 36.59, including five fifties and a hundred.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar

What a turn of tables it has been for Bhuvneshwar Kumar. The RCB pacer has taken the most wickets (19) between both the teams but majority of the wickets have been while playing for SRH but now he's the leading pacer for RCB.

Though it's just their first match of the season, the opener could set the tone of the tournament for both teams. While both teams are without their premier bowlers, whichever team can scrape a win will not only get momentum, but it will also boost their confidence.