Saturday, March 29, 2025
New Delhi: March 28, 2026
The wait for cricket fans is finally over as IPL 2026 (the 19th season) begins today. In the inaugural match, the defending champions, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), will face Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). This high-voltage encounter will be played at the historic M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. After ending a 17-year drought by defeating Punjab Kings last year, RCB will look to defend their title, while in the absence of Pat Cummins, SRH will be led by Ishan Kishan.
Date & Venue: Saturday, March 28, at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru.
Match Timing: The match will begin at 7:30 PM IST.
The Toss: Captains Rajat Patidar and Ishan Kishan will take the field for the toss at 7:00 PM.
Opening Ceremony: The BCCI has cancelled the opening ceremony this year; therefore, the coverage will proceed directly to the match.
Cricket fans can enjoy the live action on the following platforms:
On TV: Across various channels of the Star Sports Network in multiple languages.
Mobile/Digital: Live streaming will be available on the JioHotstar app and website.
Live Scores: You can follow the LiveHindustan cricket page for Hindi commentary and ball-by-ball updates.
| Royal Challengers Bengaluru | Sunrisers Hyderabad |
| Rajat Patidar (C), Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Devdutt Padikkal, Tim David, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Krunal Pandya, Romario Shepherd, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Suyash Sharma, Jacob Duffy, etc. | Ishan Kishan (C/WK), Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Liam Livingstone, Heinrich Klaasen, Aniket Verma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshal Patel, Jaydev Unadkat, Harsh Dubey, etc. |
| (Note: Josh Hazlewood is out of the first match) |
