Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Sunrisers Hyderabad have become two teams that fans love watching cricket. From record-setting totals to thrilling finishes, this rivalry has delighted everyone who follows it.
Here, we take a look back at its history while revisiting key moments from their epic 2016 final matchup, along with the Royal Challengers Bengaluru Vs Sunrisers Hyderabad Match Scorecard.
| Date | Venue | Match Result | Winner | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 Mar 2026 | M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru | SRH 201/9 vs RCB 203/4 | RCB | 6 wickets |
| 23 May 2025 | Lucknow | RCB 189 vs SRH 231/6 | SRH | 42 runs |
| 25 Apr 2024 | Hyderabad | SRH 171/8 vs RCB 206/7 | RCB | 35 runs |
| 15 Apr 2024 | Bengaluru | RCB 262/7 vs SRH 287/3 | SRH | 25 runs |
| 18 May 2023 | Hyderabad | SRH 186/5 vs RCB 187/2 | RCB | 8 wickets |
RCB vs SRH
Sunrisers Hyderabad will begin their home leg of IPL 2026 against RCB at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru for what promises to be an all-important match of IPL 2026 at Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium, looking to start on a high note and set a tone for their season, while defending champions will look to start strong following disappointing showing at 2025 World Cup and make amends here in this opening game of the tournament.
Two of the league’s most deadly batting units will go head to head at this iconic venue and look poised to produce an unrelenting run-fest.
Chinnaswamy Stadium should provide batsmen with ideal conditions with its fast outfield, short straight boundaries, and swift outfield. Furthermore, dew is expected late March under Chinnaswamy lights to reduce grip further increase batters’ dominance on this surface.
Kohli and overall squad balance give RCB an edge in this crucial opener, in addition to home advantage. Unfortunately, their bowling attack will be missing premier fast-bowler Josh Hazlewood due to an injury, creating a massive hole in their Powerplay and death-overs attack. As such, debutant Jacob Duffy or 23-year-old left-arm quick Mangesh Yadav may step in as replacements.
SRH enter this matchup as favorites thanks to their retained core and the addition of Liam Livingstone as spin bowler. However, their bowling attack still poses major problems – without Mohammed Shami and Akash Deep available they must rely on Harshal Patel and Jaydev Unadkat to lead their pace attack.
Since their initial meeting in 2016, these two teams have met 26 times in IPL matches – 13 for RCB and 11 for SRH. This match at Chinnaswamy stadium marks their third meeting; both have had mixed records during this fixture but this year marks an extra special match as India’s premier T20 competition celebrates 200 matches played thus far!
IPL 2026
Indian Premier League (IPL) boasts many compelling rivalries, but none compares with that between Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).
Both teams are known for fierce rivalries; and the 2016 IPL final was no different. Though RCB ultimately lost, this unforgettable clash will remain unforgettable in people’s memories for years.
IPL 2026 will get underway on March 28, with its final set for May 31. KKR are hoping to defend their crown and become the first team ever to claim three consecutive IPL crowns – they face fierce competition from CSK, SRH and Mumbai Indians (MI) though. To help them take home another title this season they have assembled an experienced squad.
In addition to veteran players, KKR also acquired several talented young ones such as Prayash Chaudhary – who recently reached 150kph in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy – and Afghan leg-spinner Allah Ghazanfar. Additionally, pre-auction trades saw them send Sanju Samson off to CSK and Riyan Parag off to RR in exchange for Ravindra Jadeja and Sam Curran respectively.
Every year, IPL player auctions take place where teams can acquire new players to strengthen their squads. Each team is allowed an annual salary cap of Rs120 crore and up to 75% of that can be spent on players; maximum 25 players may be present within one team with eight overseas signings being permitted per team.
Each team must play a minimum of seven matches, with each match counting towards an overall points table. A winning team receives 50 points while losing teams receive 10 points; in case of a tie, points are divided equally between both sides and updated after every game on the official IPL website. It is also possible to view who has won most IPL matches within a particular season by clicking the “Match History” tab at the top of the page.
Match Predictions
Royal Challengers Bangalore will begin their title defence against Sunrisers Hyderabad in Saturday’s inaugural IPL 2026 match at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, in what promises to be an action-packed encounter featuring two teams boasting powerful batting lineups and short boundaries, creating the potential for high scoring action.
Royal Challengers will start this match as clear favorites. Their head-to-head record and batting lineup is tailor-made for the conditions at M. Chinnaswamy; last season they hit 43 sixes across five matches at this ground, making them one of the best bets for big runs.
Their bowling unit will also need to improve as Josh Hazlewood had to miss early games due to injury; instead they can rely on Bhuvneshwar Kumar who excels with new ball bowlers like Mangesh Yadav and Suyash Sharma as key bowlers.
SRH boasts an explosive batting lineup featuring Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, and Ishan Kishan who will look to take advantage of an underwhelming pace attack led by Virat Kohli and Brydon Carse from Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).
Their powerplay attacking style made them one of the most dangerous chasing teams last season while they lost skipper Pat Cummins due to back pain – their powerplay attacking style was one of their hallmarks last season as one of many of their most dangerous chase teams last season while they lost captain Pat Cummins who was nursing back pain – to take full advantage of their top-order aggression against an underwhelming pace attack from RCB led by Virat Kohli and Brydon Carse.
Although they will be without their captain, SRH boasts an experienced squad with plenty of firepower. Their superior head-to-head record against Royal Challengers should prove difficult for their underperforming bowlers, while their powerful batting lineup will put pressure on RCB’s struggling bowlers in powerplay and death overs.
Unfortunately for SRH however, Josh Hazlewood will miss this match and that may compromise their bowling efforts during these phases; Royal Challengers however possess more depth in their bowling attack along with an established batting lineup – therefore giving them an advantage at home that should give them an advantage to win this match and begin their campaign off right.
Betting Tips
Last time they met, RCB won six out of the four head-to-head matches between these teams and are well placed to claim victory this time around. Their recent performance against Kolkata Knight Riders further supports this view.
Royal Challengers Bangalore are the defending champions of the Indian Premier League and will look to defend their crown. Boasting an experienced roster that features star batsman Virat Kohli and bowler Moeen Ali, Royal Challengers will face an uphill struggle defending their crown without Josh Hazlewood and Yash Dayal due to injuries; therefore proving an uphill task.
Sunrisers Hyderabad have much to prove after finishing sixth last season. Their roster boasts quality players like Heinrich Klaasen, Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma who have proven they can perform under pressure. Unfortunately for them however, Pat Cummins remains out due to injury – Ishan Kishan will need to lead them from the front in early stages.
The 2026 Indian Premier League season has finally arrived and will get off to an exciting start when Royal Challengers Bengaluru play Sunrisers Hyderabad at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium this Saturday. Both sides share an intense rivalry that cemented itself into fans’ hearts during 2016’s IPL final match-up.
