Virat Kohli expressed his love for his wife, Anushka Sharma, with a flying kiss after guiding Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to a six-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 opener.
Put into bat first on a two-paced pitch, SRH rode on captain Ishan Kishan’s sparkling 80 off 38 balls and a late blitz from Aniket Verma (43 off 18 balls) to post 201/9. Kishan’s fluent strokeplay, laced with eight fours and five sixes, and Aniket’s fearless cameo lifted the visitors past the 200-mark despite Jacob Duffy’s impressive debut spell of 3-22 and Romario Shepherd’s 3-54.
IPL 2026: RCB’s Top Order Makes Light Work of Daunting Chase
In reply, RCB’s top order made light work of the seemingly daunting chase. Devdutt Padikkal set the tone with a rollicking 61 off 26 balls, studded with seven fours and four sixes, while Virat Kohli, returning to playing T20 cricket after ten months, enthralled the home crowd with an unbeaten 69 off 38 balls, laced with five fours and five sixes.
Rajat Patidar chipped in with a brisk 31 off 12 balls to ensure the chase was wrapped up with 26 deliveries to spare. RCB’s innings was marked by aggressive intent from the outset. Padikkal raced to a 21-ball fifty, his fastest in the IPL, before falling to Harsh Dubey.
Key Statistics from the Match
- Ishan Kishan’s 80 off 38 balls
- Devdutt Padikkal’s 61 off 26 balls
- Virat Kohli’s unbeaten 69 off 38 balls
- Jacob Duffy’s 3-22 and Romario Shepherd’s 3-54
For more information on the Indian Premier League, visit the official Wikipedia page.
