Kohli, Patidar Batting Brilliance Help RCB Crush Sunrisers Hyderabad in IPL 2026

Royal Challengers Bengaluru thrashed Sunrisers Hyderabad in the latest IPL clash by 6 wickets. The batting brilliance of Virat Kohli stole the show, as he scored a brilliant 69 to help RCB ace the chase inside just 15.4 overs. It was a statement win from the RCB, showcasing how well they are prepared to defend their title in the IPL 2026.

Batting first, Sunrisers Hyderabad had a terrible start, as they lost their openers quickly in the Powerplay. The captain Ishan Kishan then came to the crease and produced a counter punch to put pressure on the RCB bowlers. He built a strong partnership with Heinrich Klaasen to take the SRH innings forward, as the batting friendly surface at Bengaluru helped both batters to play their shots freely.

Romario Shepherd then came up with a strong spell to dismiss Klaasen, however, Ishan Kishan kept playing his natural game to take the scoreboard forward. He was eventually dismissed after scoring a brilliant 80 off 38 balls, giving Sunrisers Hyderabad a solid platform to post a competitive total.

Some late fireworks by Aniket Verma then helped SRH to take the momentum forward, as they succeeded in scoring 201 at the end of the first innings.

When RCB came out to chase the target, they showcased complete dominance from the start of the innings. Despite losing Phil Salt early, Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal kept playing positively to put pressure on the SRH bowling lineup. The innings of Virat Kohli was especially impressive, as he showcased his vintage class while chasing a big target.

The captain Rajat Patidar also played a solid knock of 31 runs by hitting 2 fours and 3 sixes. His support for the dominant Kohli disrupted the bowling plans of SRH completely, as they failed to find any impactful breakthrough during the middle overs.

Virat Kohli then finished the match in style by hitting consecutive boundaries in the 16th over, giving RCB a big 6-wicket victory in their tournament opener. He remained unbeaten until the end of the match, scoring 69 off just 38 balls with the help of 5 fours and 5 sixes.