The defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will face Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the IPL 2026 season opener on Saturday, March 28, at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
The match starts at 7:30 PM IST. Both teams will be without key players due to injuries and fitness issues.
RCB Missing Three Fast Bowlers
RCB go into the first match of the season without three of their pacers.
Josh Hazlewood has joined the squad in Bengaluru but will not play the opener. The Australian pacer is recovering from a hamstring and Achilles injury. He is yet to get clearance from Cricket Australia. Head coach Andy Flower has confirmed he will miss the first match.
Yash Dayal will not play the entire IPL 2026 season. The left-arm pacer has been ruled out due to a personal situation. RCB has confirmed he will remain under contract with the franchise but will not take the field this year.
Nuwan Thushara is also unavailable for the opener. The Sri Lankan pacer failed a mandatory fitness test conducted by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC). Because of this, he was denied a No Objection Certificate (NOC). He can retake the test after a gap of four to five days.
Rajat Patidar will lead RCB as they begin their title defence.
SRH Without Captain Pat Cummins
Pat Cummins, the regular SRH captain, will miss the early part of IPL 2026. He is recovering from a lumbar stress injury sustained during the Ashes. He has joined SRH’s squad in India but is not yet fully fit. Cummins himself has said he expects to miss the first half of the tournament.
In his absence, Ishan Kishan will captain SRH. Kishan has never captained an IPL team before. He was chosen for the role after leading Jharkhand to their first-ever Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy title in 2025. He even scored a century in the final of that tournament. Abhishek Sharma will serve as vice-captain.
Other Availability Updates
Jack Edwards of SRH has been ruled out for the full season with a foot injury. David Payne has joined SRH as his replacement.
Eshan Malinga of SRH has received his NOC and is available for selection after recovering from a shoulder injury. If Malinga does not play, England pacer Brydon Carse could make his IPL debut. Carse was signed by SRH in the IPL 2026 auction but missed all of last season due to injury.
