Royal Challengers Bangalore will take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in the opening match of IPL 2026. The match will be played on March 28 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. Royal Challengers Bangalore got the chance to play the opening match of IPL last season. This year they are again entering the opening match as champions.

The 2025 IPL season was a memorable one for the Bengaluru team. In the league stage, they won 9 out of 14 matches to finish second in the points table. They then maintained a great rhythm in the latter stages, defeating Punjab Kings twice—first in the qualifiers and later in the finals. With that victory, the team won the IPL title for the first time.

IPL 2026 starts from March 28. This year’s opening match is important for another special reason. Cricket is making a comeback at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru after 11 people died and many were injured in the recent stampede. As a result, the match will be an emotional moment for City fans.

Royal Challengers Bangalore Schedule in IPL 2026 (First Phase):

March 28: Bengaluru vs Hyderabad (Bengaluru) – 3.30 pm

April 5: Bengaluru vs Chennai (Bengaluru) – 7.30 pm

April 10: Rajasthan vs Bengaluru (Guwahati) – 7.30pm

April 12: Mumbai vs Bengaluru (Mumbai) – 7.30 pm

Royal Challengers Bangalore Squad for IPL 2026: Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Devdutta Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (captain), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Romario Shepherd, Jitesh Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yash Dayal, Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma, Abhinandan Singh, Jacob Bethel, Nuwan Thushara, Rasikh Dar, Swapnil Singh, Venkatesh Iyer, Jacob Duffy, Satvik Deshwal, Mangesh Yadav, Jordan Cox, Vicky Otswal, Bihan Malhotra and Kanishk Chauhan.