Royal Challengers Bengaluru face Sunrisers Hyderabad in the opening match of the IPL 2026 season at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. The venue has been cleared to host the season opener, one playoff, and the final after safety and structural audits. Both teams begin their new campaign after winning their last three matches in previous tournaments.
Toss & Conditions
M Chinnaswamy Stadium has been approved for IPL 2026 after structural and safety upgrades, including new entry gates and improved crowd control systems. The venue will host multiple RCB home games, with digital ticketing and extended metro services to manage match-day operations.
Head-to-Head
In the last three head-to-head matches, RCB won once while SRH won twice.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru
This is RCB’s first match of the season. They won their last three matches in other tournaments, defeating Punjab Kings twice and Lucknow Super Giants once.
Sunrisers Hyderabad
This is SRH’s first match of the season. They won their last three matches in other tournaments against Kolkata Knight Riders, RCB, and Lucknow Super Giants.
Playing XI
News & Facts
- Nuwan Thushara failed Sri Lanka Cricket’s fitness test, scoring below the required 17 out of 29 points, and will miss at least RCB’s opening match.
- Thushara can retake the fitness test only after a gap of four to five days.
- M Chinnaswamy Stadium will host five RCB home games and two matches in Raipur as per franchise agreement.
- The Karnataka government’s expert committee approved the stadium after a full-day structural and safety audit.
- Metro services in Bengaluru will run until 1am on match days to support crowd movement.
मुख्य आँकड़े
Prediction
All models favor RCB with probabilities between 55% and 68%, averaging 60%. Bookmakers align closely, offering RCB at 1.75 odds (54%) and SRH at 2.00 (46%). Elo ratings show RCB ahead by 115 points. The main differentiators are RCB’s higher Elo and lineup impact advantage, while SRH holds a recent head-to-head edge.

