IPL 2026 RCB vs SRH Match Preview: Pitch, Weather Report, Head to Head, Playing 11, Streaming. The IPL 2026 will start with a thrilling clash between defending champion RCB and SRH on 28th March at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru. Challengers won their first-ever trophy in IPL 2025 after a dominant campaign. They won 9 out of 14 league matches in the previous season.
SRH had a mixed IPL 2025 season with 6 wins in 14 games. SRH will miss captain Pat Cummins for a few early games. Ishan Kishan will take on the role of team captain. Rajat Patidar will miss its best fast bowler, Josh Hazlewood, in the 1st match.
Match Details
Match: RCB vs SRH, Match 1
Date: March 28, 2026
Time: 7:30 PM IST
Venue: M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
Also Read: IPL 2026: No Opening Ceremony at Chinnaswamy as BCCI Pays Tribute To June 4 Tragedy
Pitch and Weather Report
The Bengaluru pitch is known for high-scoring matches. The average first innings score here is around 180 runs. Teams have crossed 200 runs more than 25 times at this venue. The highest total at Chinnaswamy is 287 runs, which is a record in IPL history. Short boundaries help batters score quickly. Pacers get an early swing for 2 to 3 overs. Spinners usually have an economy above 8.5 here. Dew helps chasing teams in over 60 per cent of matches.
The temperature is expected to be between 29 and 34 degrees Celsius. Humidity levels may stay around 60 to 70 per cent. There is a 20 to 30 per cent chance of rain. Wind speed could be around 10 to 15 km/h. Dew is expected in the second innings.
Head-to-Head Record
RCB and SRH have played 25 matches so far. RCB have won 11 matches, whereas SRH have come victorious in 13 games. 1 match ended with no result. SRH has a win percentage of around 52 per cent.
Probable Playing XI
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Phil Salt, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar, Jitesh Sharma, Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jacob Duffy, Mangesh Yadav
Sunrisers Hyderabad: Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen, Liam Livingstone, Harshal Patel, Aniket Verma, Zeeshan Ansari, Eshan Malinga, Jaydev Unadkat
Live Streaming Details
Fans can watch the match on the Star Sports network. Live streaming will be available on JioHotstar.
Also Read: RCB Sold For ₹16,705 Crore to Aditya Birla Group and David Blitzer Consortium
Match Prediction
This match is expected to be high scoring. The average match aggregate here is over 360 runs. RCB has won 65 per cent of matches at this venue recently. SRH have won 2 of their last 5 matches against RCB. RCB have a slight edge due to home advantage. Their batting lineup looks stronger on paper. Fans can expect a thrilling start to IPL 2026. Big scores and close finishes are likely. This match promises exciting cricket action.