Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], March 29 (ANI): Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) began their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 campaign in emphatic fashion, defeating Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) by six wickets in a high-scoring season opener at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday.

RCB skipper Rajat Patidar dedicated the victory to the 11 fans who lost their lives in a stampede incident last year.

In a video posted by RCB on Instagram, Patidar said, 'This win, we dedicate to the 11 fans we lost last year.'

Chasing a daunting target of 202, RCB completed the pursuit in just 15.4 overs, the fastest 200-plus chase in IPL history, with 26 balls to spare. The chase was anchored by Virat Kohli, who remained unbeaten on 69 off 38 balls, while Devdutt Padikkal produced a blistering 61 off 26 deliveries to set the tone.

RCB batting coach and mentor Dinesh Karthik reflected on the emotional start to the match, saying, 'I must say it was pretty emotional at the start when we all stood, and the wind dropped silent. It was nice that we honoured them. And then the way that they always cheer, second to none. There is so much of passion when it comes to RCB. Just when the bus comes into the ground, the number of people who are just watching you is a motivation in itself. And then in the ground, the energy. And we are definitely one of the loudest, most cheerful and happiest stadiums to be in. So, it's a bit full house, and I'm very happy we put up a very good performance.'

Patidar credited Kohli and Padikkal for laying the foundation of the chase.

'The way Devdutt and Virat started, I think that was a good base for us, and after that, it wasn't as if we wanted to finish early, and the game kept on going, and we kept on scoring runs. Then we decided that we would chase as early as possible. Not easy to chase 200, the way the boys batted was quite phenomenal, they bowled nicely as well,' he said.

Earlier, SRH recovered strongly from an early collapse to post 201/9. Ishan Kishan led the fightback with a scintillating 80 off 38 balls, while contributions from the middle order ensured a competitive total.

However, the IPL debutant Jacob Duffy rattled SRH early, reducing them to 29/3 by claiming three top-order wickets. He finished with figures of 3/22, while Romario Shepherd also picked up three wickets.

RCB head coach Andy Flower lauded the team's performance, stating, 'That was an amazing win. It is, I hear, the fastest chase of 200 in IPL history. So, in our first game in 2026, that's a great effort. Well done.' (ANI)