RCB vs SRH Toss & Playing XI, IPL 2026: Bengaluru Wins Toss and Opts to Bowl First in Season Opener

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have won the toss and opted to bowl first against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the first match of IPL 2026 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. With conditions expected to favor batting at the venue, a chase might prove to be very critical.

At the time of the toss RCB captain Rajat Patidar expressed his views about the same while also expressing his faith in the side.

"We'll bowl first. Of course, there are a lot of positives from last year but as we're moving into this season, we are not defending we'll try to be champions again in 2026. I think there are a lot of good players in the side and we have proper backups for every position. There's a good support system and medical team as well. So yeah everyone is fit and looking forward to this game. Thank you so much for supporting us over the years, we'll try our best to put a second star on our jersey. There are two new faces- Jacob Duffy and Abhinandan Singh who are going to play their first match."

SRH captain Ishan Kishan also spoke at the time of the toss:

"Feeling good because it’s our first game. We would have bowled first after winning the toss, but it looks like a fresh wicket. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter whether you’re batting first or bowling first, you just need to back your instincts. That will be the plan. Just trying to keep things simple. You don’t have to start doing something new just because it’s the IPL. The plans are clear with all the players, and we’ll just look to execute them well. Pat (Cummins) is one of the best bowlers in the team and in the IPL as well. Missing him makes a big difference. But I think everyone is in good touch, and it’s just about executing our plans. If we do that, we’ll be on the winning side. I think Salil (Arora) is one to watch. He’s been in very good touch, and I just want him to keep things simple, watch the ball and play his game."

RCB vs SRH Playing XI

• Royal Challengers Bengaluru (Playing XI): Virat Kohli, Philip Salt, Rajat Patidar(c), Jitesh Sharma(w), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Abhinandan Singh, Jacob Duffy, Suyash Sharma

RCB Impact subs: Devdutt Padikkal, Jacob Bethell, Rasikh Salam Dar, Kanishk Chouhan, Venkatesh Iyer

• Sunrisers Hyderabad (Playing XI): Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan(w/c), Heinrich Klaasen, Aniket Verma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Salil Arora, Harsh Dubey, Harshal Patel, Jaydev Unadkat, Eshan Malinga

SRH Impact subs: Shivang Kumar, Liam Livingstone, David Payne, Smaran Ravichandran, Sakib Hussain

Big Start for IPL 2026

With both the teams having massive batting lineups, the encounter seems to be quite exciting. While RCB will rely on their seasoned players like Virat Kohli, Tim David and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, the Sunrisers will be led by Travis Head, Heinrich Klaasen and Ishan Kishan.

RCB have introduced Jacob Duffy and Abhinandan Singh in the squad and have handed them their debuts while the team will look to begin the season strongly at home with the title win in the previous edition. With RCB electing to bowl first, the bowlers of the franchise will be expected to make a strong comeback in this blockbuster encounter while Sunrisers will look to score a lot of runs.