Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru made a strong start to their Indian Premier League 2026 campaign as debutant fast bowler Jacob Duffy rocked Sunrisers Hyderabad with three wickets in the powerplay in the opening match in Bengaluru on Saturday.
SRH were reduced to 33/3 inside five overs after Duffy struck three times in a short spell, including two wickets in one over, to put the visitors under early pressure. Openers Abhishek Sharma and Travis Head were dismissed in the same over, while Nitish Kumar Reddy also fell soon after as RCB dominated the powerplay.
Earlier, Abhishek had survived a close DRS call in the first over before hitting a six, but failed to convert the start as Duffy removed him with a short delivery that resulted in a catch behind. Head briefly counter-attacked with a six but was dismissed on the very next ball, giving Duffy his second wicket of the over. The RCB debutant then picked up his third wicket when Nitish Kumar Reddy miscued a big shot and was caught inside the circle.
Stand-in skipper Ishan Kishan and Heinrich Klaasen were at the crease after the early collapse, trying to stabilise the innings after the top-order setback.
RCB captain Rajat Patidar had won the toss and opted to bowl first, handing debuts to uncapped pacer Abhinandan Singh and New Zealand international Jacob Duffy. SRH also included uncapped batter Salil Arora in their playing XI.
RCB players wore black armbands during the match as a mark of respect for fans who lost their lives in a tragic incident following the team’s title celebrations last year.
Playing XIs
RCB: Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Rajat Patidar (c), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Abhinandan Singh, Jacob Duffy, Suyash Sharma.
SRH: Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan (c/wk), Heinrich Klaasen, Aniket Verma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Salil Arora, Harsh Dubey, Harshal Patel, Jaydev Unadkat, Eshan Malinga.