Virat Kohli celebrates his half century during an Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 T20 cricket match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Sunrisers Hyderabad, at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, in Bengaluru, Karnataka. (PTI Photo)

Bengaluru: The M Chinnaswamy Stadium was bathed in red on Saturday night — not just in colour, but in the commanding form of defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru as they opened their IPL campaign with a six-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad.After pacer Jacob Duffy (3/22) set up the game with a dream debut, it was Devdutt Padikkal and Virat Kohli who lit up the chase. Padikkal’s fluent 61 off 26 balls and Kohli’s unbeaten 69 off 38 ensured RCB made light work of the 200-run target, getting home with 26 balls to spare.Playing in his backyard, Padikkal looked in complete control. Fresh off an impressive domestic season that saw him play a key role in Karnataka’s run to the Ranji Trophy final, the left-hander carried that form into the nightWalking in after Phil Salt’s (8) early departure, Padikkal wasted little time settling in. A trademark flick for six off Jaydev Unadkat set the tone. Particularly impressive was his intent against left-arm pacer David Payne, including a one-knee six.Often criticised for getting stuck on the crease, Padikkal showed improved footwork and raced to his half-century with a crisp straight drive, as Kohli cheered from the other end. Padikkal, going for a big one against Harsh Dubey, failed to get past the mid-off region with Klaasen taking a regulation catch. Kohli, who was on 30 when the partnership ended, shifted gears. He anchored the innings through a brief wobble that saw skipper Rajat Patidar (31) and Jitesh Sharma (0) fall off successive deliveries to Payne. With the finish line in sight, Kohli and Tim David (16 n.o) wrapped it up without fuss.

Duffy, Ishan show

The early narrative belonged to debutants – one making his IPL bow, the other leading a side for the first time in the competition.RCB pacer Jacob Duffy marked his debut in style, ripping through SRH’s top order. But Ishan, captaining SRH for the first time, stood firm against the early burst, producing a counter-attacking 38-ball 80 to pull his side out of trouble.SRH recovered from early jolts and owed their total to Ishan’s composure and Aniket Verma’s (43 off 18balls) late flourish.Duffy made an immediate impact. Spearheading the bowling attack in the absence of Australian quick Josh Hazlewood, the New Zealand pacer struck in his second over to break the back of SRH’s explosive top order. Abhishek Sharma miscued a pull to wicketkeeper Jitesh Sharma. Five balls later, Travis Head fell to a short ball, pulling straight to Phil Salt at deep backward square leg. Nitish Reddy followed soon after, top-edging another short delivery to Abhinandan Kumar at midwicket.While wickets fell around him, Ishan held his nerve. The left-hander found his rhythm against medium pacer Abhinandan Kumar in the sixth over, smashing 6, 4, 6 to signal a shift in momentum.Fresh from a strong T20 World Cup campaign, Ishan carried that form seamlessly. Ishan found an able ally in Heinrich Klaasen (31), and the duo stitched together a crucial 97-run stand for the fourth wicket.Just as Ishan looked set for a century, his 74-minute stay ended in dramatic fashion, with Salt pulling off a stunning one-handed catch at the boundary off to become Abhinandan’s maiden IPL wicket.

Mumbai Indians’ Jasprit Bumrah (PTI Photo/Kunal Patil)

Mumbai: Ahead of their first match in IPL-2026 against Kolkata Knight Riders at the Wankhede Stadium on Sunday night, the Mumbai Indians had a huge reason to cheer, but also some cause for slight concern.At the pre-match press conference at Wankhede, MI head coach Mahela Jayawardene confirmed that world cricket’s premier pacer Jasprit Bumrah had joined their camp after returning from the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.“Jassi is back with the squad; he is available to play,” the former Sri Lankan captain said. However, Mahela revealed that New Zealand left-arm spinner and T20 captain Mitchell Santner and English allrounder Will Jacks had sought an “extended break” from MI, which they were granted.“With the guys who are joining, obviously Mitch and Jacksey (Will Jacks) asked for a slightly extended time for personal reasons, and we were quite happy to go with that. But they’ll join the team pretty soon,” the head coach informed. Bumrah, Jacks, and Santner were the notable absentees from MI’s mandatory training session held two days before their first match at the Wankhede Stadium. After the T20 World Cup final loss against India on March 8, Santner captained New Zealand for the first three T20Is against South Africa at home and was given a break for the last two. Jacks, meanwhile, was part of the England squad that lost to India in the semifinal at the Wankhede Stadium and had departed India on a chartered flight shortly after. It is yet to be confirmed whether either Santner or Jacks has arrived in India. Both players are crucial overseas options for MI.Bumrah was at the CoE for the past five days, but those tracking developments insisted that it wasn’t due to any injury, but a routine visit aimed at monitoring his workload. With 14 wickets in eight matches at 12.42 and an economy rate of 6.21, a best haul of four for 15 in the final against New Zealand, and some ultra-crucial spells at the death during the business end of the 2026 T20 World Cup, Bumrah stamped his class in the tournament. MI will want the ‘king of fast bowlers’ to hit his strides early in IPL-2026.Let’s hope MI’s shocking first game record continues: WatsonMeanwhile, perennial slow starters MI would be itching to end their jinx of losing the first match of the IPL every year when they take on KKR in their IPL season opener, while KKR’s new assistant coach Shane Watson hoped to capitalise on MI’s habitual tendency to stumble at the start of the season.“Well, let’s hope that shocking record that MI have in the first game continues. Obviously, we’re playing here at the Wankhede Stadium… it’s a fortress. The Mumbai Indians are very hard to beat here. I’ve experienced this from a playing perspective and a coaching perspective, so you know we’re certainly going to have to be at our very best against MI. They’re always stacked with match-winners across the board, so let’s hope that poor record to start the tournament continues,” Watson said at the pre-match press conference on Saturday.Refreshed after enjoying an “extended break,” as Mahela put it, MI’s 2026 T20 World Cup heroes Bumrah, India’s T20 skipper Suryakumar Yadav, star allrounder and MI captain Hardik Pandya, and Tilak Varma will be raring to go.MI will want Suryakumar—the 35-year-old batter who managed to score just 242 runs in nine matches at 30.25 with a strike rate of 136.72 and was out for a duck in the final—to rediscover his touch and repeat the consistency he displayed in IPL-2025, when he scored 717 runs in 16 matches at 65.18, with a strike rate of 167.91, including five fifties.The five-time champions will also be pleased with the way their former captain and modern-day great Rohit Sharma is tuning up for the championship. Aiming to feature in the 2027 ODI World Cup in October-November next year, the 38-year-old will be fully aware of how closely his performances will be tracked during IPL-2026. In fact, with Rohit having improved his fitness drastically in the past year, it doesn’t seem that MI will use the veteran batsman as an ‘Impact Player’ who will just bat and rest in the dugout for the rest of the match.Asked if Rohit’s lack of T20 game time—he hasn’t played a T20 match for 10 months, since featuring in the second qualifier against Punjab Kings on June 1 last year—was an issue, Mahela praised the veteran batter. “There’s a transformation in Rohit. I’ve seen the commitment on his part. He’s been training his skills for a longer period of time. That is what is in his control, what he can do, and I’m pretty satisfied with what I’ve seen in the practice games and in the nets. The hand speed, the technique, everything. And then on top of that, he has his experience as well, playing 18 years of IPL on top of that. So I have no issues with that. But it’s a game of cricket. We have to understand that and then play along with that,” complimented the MI head coach.It remains to be seen who among the two South African left-handers will open with Rohit—seasoned bat Quinton de Kock or Ryan Rickelton.

RCB’s Phil Salt celebrates after taking the catch of Sunrisers Hyderabad’s captain Ishan Kishan (PTI Photo)

Phil Salt produced a moment of brilliance in the field to dismiss Ishan Kishan, bringing an end to a commanding knock in the IPL 2026 opener between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Sunrisers Hyderabad.Kishan was batting fluently on 80 off just 38 balls and looked set for a century when he attempted to guide a full toss outside off towards the boundary. The ball seemed destined for the ropes, but Salt had other ideas. Running hard to his right from point, he stretched out fully and completed a one-handed catch at full reach, pulling off a stunning dismissal that could be among the catches of the season.It was not the only moment Salt made an impact in the field. Earlier, he was involved in another crucial catch near the boundary. Positioned at midwicket, he settled under a high ball but went down while completing the take, raising doubts over whether he had touched the cushions. The decision was sent upstairs, and after a close review, the third umpire ruled it clean, confirming the dismissal despite visible uncertainty. Heinrich Klaasen, who was dismissed, appeared unhappy with the verdict as he walked off.Kishan’s innings had been the backbone of Hyderabad’s total. Leading the side, he smashed 80 off 38 balls with eight fours and five sixes, adding 97 runs with Klaasen for the fourth wicket after early setbacks. His aggressive approach kept SRH in the contest despite a strong spell from Jacob Duffy.However, Salt’s stunning effort shifted the momentum back towards Bengaluru at a key moment. With Kishan gone, SRH lost some momentum in the death overs and eventually finished on 201 for nine, a total that looked slightly below par given the platform they had built.In a match that marked the return of IPL action to the Chinnaswamy Stadium, Salt’s fielding stood out as one of the defining moments of the innings.

Ravichandran Ashwin is poised to make history as the first Indian-capped player to feature in Major League Cricket after signing with the San Francisco Unicorns for the 2026 season.The veteran off-spinner, part of India’s title-winning squads at the 2011 ODI World Cup and 2013 Champions Trophy, has enjoyed a remarkable international career, claiming 765 wickets in 287 matches across formats. He also stands as the seventh-highest wicket-taker in Test history.