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The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026<\/strong><\/a> kicked off with a thunderous roar at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday (March 28) as Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB)<\/strong> delivered a statement victory against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)<\/strong>. In a high-octane season opener, RCB chased down a formidable target of 202 with clinical precision, winning by 6 wickets with a staggering 26 balls to spare. The night belonged to the \u2018King\u2019 and the \u2018Prodigal Son,\u2019 as Virat Kohli<\/strong> and Devdutt Padikkal<\/strong> turned a stiff chase into a stroll in the park, sending the home fans into a frenzy.<\/p>\n Winning the toss and electing to bowl, RCB immediatey put SRH on the back foot thanks to a sensational opening spell by Jacob Duffy<\/strong>. The New Zealand pacer dismantled the SRH top order with surgical precision, removing the dangerous Travis Head<\/strong> (11) and Abhishek Sharma<\/strong> (7) within the first three overs. When Nitish Kumar Reddy<\/strong> fell shortly after, SRH were reeling at 29\/3, and a collapse seemed imminent.<\/p>\n However, SRH captain Ishan Kishan<\/strong> staged a heroic rescue act. Playing a true captain\u2019s knock, Kishan blasted 80 runs off just 38 deliveries, peppered with 7 fours and 3 massive sixes. He found temporary support in Heinrich Klaasen<\/strong> (31), as the duo stabilized the innings with a rapid mid-over acceleration. Despite Kishan\u2019s brilliance, RCB\u2019s death bowling remained disciplined. Romario Shepherd<\/strong> emerged as the wrecker-in-chief in the latter half, picking up 3 wickets for 54 runs. SRH eventually clawed their way to 201\/9 in 20 overs, a total that looked competitive on a traditionally batting-friendly Bengaluru surface.<\/p>\n The chase began with a minor hiccup as Phil Salt<\/strong> departed early for just 8, but that only set the stage for one of the most dominant partnerships in recent IPL history. Kohli and Padikkal took the SRH bowling attack to the cleaners, exhibiting a perfect blend of classic timing and brute force.<\/p>\n Padikkal, returning to the colors where he first rose to fame, was the primary aggressor early on. He reached a blistering fifty in just 21 balls, eventually finishing with 61 runs off 26 balls, including 7 fours and 4 sixes. His departure at 110\/2 didn\u2019t slow the momentum, as Kohli took over the mantle of the anchor-aggressor.<\/p>\n Kohli remained unbeaten on 69 off 38 balls, striking at 181.57. His innings was a vintage display of gap-finding and calculated risk-taking, punctuated by 5 towering sixes. Even a brief double-strike by David Payne<\/strong>, which removed Rajat Patidar<\/strong> (31) and Jitesh Sharma<\/strong><\/a> (0) in the 13th over, couldn\u2019t derail the train. Kohli, alongside Tim David<\/strong> (16*), guided RCB past the finish line in just 15.4 overs, finishing at 203\/4. This emphatic win not only earned RCB two points but also provided a massive boost to their Net Run Rate, marking a perfect start to their 2026 campaign.<\/p>\n Also WATCH: Jacob Duffy folds both SRH openers Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head in single over during IPL 2026 opener<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n VIRAT KOHLI IN THE LAST 25 INNINGS IN IPL:<\/p>\n 42(20), 18(7), 51(43), 70*(44), 42(27), 92(47), 27(13), 47(29), 33(24), 59*(36), 31(30), 7(6), 67(42), 22(14), 62*(45), 1(3), 73*(54), 70(42), 51(47), 62(33), 43(25), 54(30), 12(12), 43(35) & 69*(38)#kohli<\/a> #RCBvsSRH<\/a> #IPL<\/a> #rcb<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/r6J1eURv3x<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 \ud835\udd76\ud835\udd94\ud835\udd8d\ud835\udd91\ud835\udd8e\ud835\udd9b\ud835\udd8a\ud835\udd97\ud835\udd98\ud835\udd8a (@kohliverse37917) March 28, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Chasing? That\u2019s his game. \ud83d\ude2e\u200d\ud83d\udca8\ud83d\udd25<\/p>\n 4\ufe0f\u20e30\ufe0f\u20e30\ufe0f\u20e30\ufe0f\u20e3* runs while chasing in the #TATAIPL<\/a>. \ud83c\udfaf<\/p>\n A first. THE standard. KING KOHLI. \ud83d\udc51<\/p>\n HISTORY CREATED BY KING KOHLI. \ud83d\udc51 <\/p>\n \u2013 Virat Kohli becomes the first batter in the IPL to score 4,000 runs while chasing.#RCBvsSRH<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/UMBaHAIk7t<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Gunner (@VinayTweet07) March 28, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n RCB beat SRH by 6 wickets \ud83d\ude0a#cricket<\/a> #RCBvSRH<\/a> #IPL2026<\/a> #CricketTwitter<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/VDl8SrQfzZ<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 CricketTimes.com (@CricketTimesHQ) March 28, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n DEVDUTT PADIKKAL ON FIRE! \ud83d\udd25<\/p>\n 21-ball fifty \u2014 pure destruction by the impact player! \ud83e\udd2f\ud83d\udca5#RCBvsSRH<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/YY3V3J5ENd<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Khan (@ccricket713) March 28, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n \ud83d\udea8 Stat watch \ud83d\udea8<\/p>\n Devdutt Padikkal vs Sunrisers Hyderabad = lowest impact \ud83d\udc40<\/p>\n Strike rate: 101.29 SRH have kept him quiet more than any team \ud83d\udca5<\/p>\n Time to break the pattern or struggle continues? \ud83e\udd14 #3rdManView<\/a> #IPL2026<\/a> #RCBvSRH<\/a> | @RCBTweets<\/a> https:\/\/t.co\/V48ov0gB50<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/KkjVllVBNn<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Third Man View (@3rdManView) March 28, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n FIFTY FOR DEVDUTT PADIKKAL FROM JUST 21 BALLS \ud83e\udd76<\/p>\n \u2013 Dev has been a different beast in recent times, dominating in all formats from IPL to Karnataka.#RCBvsSRH<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/yFU2mvGTbv<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Nafees (@Nafees_22) March 28, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n A STANDING OVATION FOR DEVDUTT PADIKKAL FROM CHINNASWAMY CROWD \ud83d\udc4c pic.twitter.com\/hIpA1FCfaX<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) March 28, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n HISTORY CREATED BY KING KOHLI. \ud83d\udc51 <\/p>\n \u2013 Virat Kohli becomes the first batter in the IPL to score 4,000 runs while chasing. pic.twitter.com\/vAWisLGlg1<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) March 28, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n VIRAT KOHLI & DEVDUTT PADIKKAL COOKED SRH \ud83e\udd76pic.twitter.com\/KVdJEluM9Y<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Cricket Central (@CricketCentrl) March 28, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Devdutt Padikkal against SRH today pic.twitter.com\/IGPpFo2MNO<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Aman_Chain \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f (@Amanprabhat9) March 28, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Virat Kohli is retired from test and T20, he is not playing regularly international cricket but he still holds that magical touch.<\/p>\n He is still by far the best batsman in the world and this version looks even more dangerous.pic.twitter.com\/fNE0l6cWnx<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Sujeet Suman (@sujeetsuman1991) March 28, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\nJacob Duffy\u2019s early destruction and Ishan Kishan\u2019s valiant counter in the first innings<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal take RCB home with their explosive knocks<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Here\u2019s how fans reacted:<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Sixes: just 2 \ud83d\ude2e\u200d\ud83d\udca8<\/p>\n\n
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