Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Sunrisers Hyderabad Live Streaming Free, Match 1, IPL 2026
RCB defend their IPL title tonight against SRH at Chinnaswamy in the tournament opener. Watch every ball free on our IPL 2026 live streaming guide.
Match Info RCB vs SRH
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Match | Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Sunrisers Hyderabad |
| Series | TATA IPL 2026, Match 1 |
| Date | Saturday, March 28, 2026 |
| Time | 7:30 PM IST / 2:00 PM GMT |
| Venue | M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru |
| RCB Captain | Rajat Patidar |
| SRH Captain | Ishan Kishan (stand-in, Cummins injured) |
| Toss | TBD |
Where to Watch RCB vs SRH Free Live Streaming
| Region | TV Channel | Free Streaming |
|---|---|---|
| India | Star Sports 1, Star Sports Hindi | JioHotstar App and Website |
| Australia | Fox Cricket | Kayo Sports / YuppTV |
| UK | Sky Sports Cricket | Sky Go / NOW TV |
| USA and Canada | Willow TV | Willow App |
| South Africa | SuperSport | DStv App |
| New Zealand | Sky Sport NZ | FanCode |
| MENA | CricLife | StarzPlay |
JioHotstar is the go-to free streaming option in India. The Championswaali Hindi stream is also live on JioHotstar with Raina, Harbhajan, Ashwin and Sehwag in the commentary box.
Match Overview
IPL 2026 opens with defending champions RCB hosting SRH at Chinnaswamy. RCB ended 18 years of heartbreak last season and tonight they begin the title defence in front of an emotionally charged home crowd. Players will wear black armbands as a mark of respect following last year’s tragic events near the stadium. SRH arrive as one of the most dangerous batting sides in the competition, with Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma capable of ending the game in the powerplay alone. Check all upcoming IPL 2026 fixtures to plan your season.
Head to Head RCB vs SRH IPL
| Stat | RCB | SRH |
|---|---|---|
| Matches Played | 25 | 25 |
| Won | 11 | 13 |
| Last Meeting | Lost by 25 runs (2024) | Won by 25 runs (2024) |
| Highest Score | 262 | 287 |
| Lowest Score | 68 | 125 |
SRH lead the all-time IPL head to head 13-11. Their 287 against RCB in 2024 remains one of the highest totals in IPL history.
Last 2 Meetings
| Date | Venue | Winner | Margin | Key Performer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Uppal, Hyderabad | SRH | 25 runs | Travis Head 89 |
| 2024 | Chinnaswamy, Bengaluru | RCB | 35 runs | Virat Kohli 77 |
Recent Form
RCB Last 5 IPL Results
W vs PBKS (Final 2025) | W vs MI | W vs DC | L vs KKR | W vs CSK
SRH Last 5 IPL Results
L vs RCB | W vs DC | W vs LSG | W vs GT | L vs PBKS
IPL 2026 Points Table
| Team | Mat | W | L | NR | Pts | NRR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All teams | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
Season kicks off tonight. Follow live standings on the IPL 2026 points table updated after every match.
Venue M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
| Stat | Detail |
|---|---|
| Location | Bengaluru, Karnataka |
| Capacity | 35,000 |
| Avg 1st Innings T20 Score | 180-194 |
| Pitch Type | Batting friendly, consistent bounce |
| Square Boundaries | Short, favours big hitting |
| Toss Preference | Chase under lights |
| Dew Factor | Minimal expected tonight |
Chinnaswamy has not hosted top cricket since May 2025. Both coaches expect a batting-friendly surface and with both teams light on bowling, scores well past 200 are very much on the cards tonight.
RCB vs SRH Preview
RCB Preview
Batting is RCB’s strength top to bottom with Kohli, Salt, Padikkal or Venkatesh Iyer, Patidar, Jitesh, Bethell or Tim David and Shepherd all capable of match-winning knocks. The concern is bowling. Without Hazlewood, Bhuvneshwar Kumar leads the attack on experience alone while Jacob Duffy makes his IPL debut and Suyash Sharma handles the leg-spin role. Kohli needs just 29 runs tonight to go past Shoaib Malik on the all-time T20 run-scorers list. Bhuvneshwar needs two wickets to reach 200 IPL wickets.
Key Player: Virat Kohli. At home, as defending champion, in the opener. If he bats the game is half won.
SRH Preview
Losing Cummins means SRH lose their captain and spearhead in one blow. Ishan Kishan steps up in remarkable fashion given where his career was twelve months ago. Their batting depth from Head, Abhishek, Kishan, Klaasen, Livingstone and Nitish Kumar Reddy is as dangerous as any top seven in the competition. Bowling is their question mark, particularly at Chinnaswamy where Harshal, Carse and Unadkat will need to execute perfectly to keep RCB under 180. Check the full SRH squad for IPL 2026 for their complete player list.
Key Player: Travis Head. If he fires in the powerplay SRH can post an unreachable total before the middle overs arrive.
Playing 11
RCB Predicted Playing 11
| # | Player | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Virat Kohli | Anchor opener |
| 2 | Phil Salt | Aggressive opener |
| 3 | Devdutt Padikkal / Venkatesh Iyer | Top order |
| 4 | Rajat Patidar (C) | Captain, middle order |
| 5 | Jitesh Sharma (WK) | Wicketkeeper finisher |
| 6 | Jacob Bethell / Tim David | Power hitter |
| 7 | Romario Shepherd | All-rounder |
| 8 | Krunal Pandya | Left-arm spin |
| 9 | Bhuvneshwar Kumar | Swing, experience |
| 10 | Suyash Sharma | Leg spin |
| 11 | Jacob Duffy | Pace, IPL debut |
SRH Predicted Playing 11
| # | Player | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ishan Kishan (C, WK) | Captain, wicketkeeper |
| 2 | Abhishek Sharma | Aggressive opener |
| 3 | Travis Head | Explosive left-hand bat |
| 4 | Heinrich Klaasen | Middle order destroyer |
| 5 | Nitish Kumar Reddy | All-rounder |
| 6 | Liam Livingstone / Eshan Malinga | Power or pace |
| 7 | Salil Arora | IPL debut |
| 8 | Aniket Verma | Middle order |
| 9 | Harsh Dubey | Spin |
| 10 | Brydon Carse | Pace |
| 11 | Harshal Patel | Death bowling |
Match Prediction RCB vs SRH
| Factor | Advantage |
|---|---|
| Batting | Even |
| Bowling | RCB marginally |
| Home Ground | RCB |
| Recent Form | RCB |
| Head to Head | SRH |
| Overall Edge | RCB |
Predicted Winner: RCB
Home advantage at an emotionally charged Chinnaswamy, Kohli in the best shape of recent years and the defending champion momentum gives RCB the edge. SRH’s batting is genuinely frightening but their bowling without Cummins is vulnerable on this surface. RCB to win by 15 to 25 runs.
FAQs
When is RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 tonight?
March 28, 2026 at 7:30 PM IST at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru.
Where to watch RCB vs SRH free live streaming?
JioHotstar app and website for India viewers. Full global platform list in the table above.
Which TV channel shows RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 live?
Star Sports 1 and Star Sports Hindi are the official TV broadcasters in India.
Who is captaining RCB tonight?
Rajat Patidar is the RCB captain for IPL 2026.
Who is captaining SRH tonight?
Ishan Kishan is stand-in captain for SRH with Pat Cummins out injured.
