In a dominant fashion, defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru began their Indian Premier League campaign by defeating Sunrisers Hyderabad by six wickets in a high-scoring opener. Star batter Virat Kohli composed a 69 not out off 38 balls, striking five sixes and five fours to guide his side home with ease.
Chasing a challenging target of 202 at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru got off to a flying start despite losing Phil Salt early for eight. A key turning point came when impact substitute Devdutt Padikkal smashed 61 off just 26 balls, launching four sixes and seven fours.
His explosive innings, combined with Kohli’s 101-run partnership, pushed Bengaluru to 100 in a little over eight overs — a crucial milestone in the chase. After Padikkal’s dismissal, captain Rajat Patidar’s rapid 31 off 12 balls helped sustain the high-scoring rate as the chase continued to gain momentum.
Although Hyderabad briefly fought back when David Payne claimed two wickets in a single over, breaking a key partnership, Bengaluru did not lose its grip. Kohli anchored the chase with his 64th IPL half-century and accelerated by hitting 18 runs off Harshal Patel in a pivotal over. Finally, Tim David contributed an unbeaten 16, and he and Kohli secured victory with 26 balls remaining, finishing on 203 for four.
Hyderabad posted a competitive 201 for nine earlier, thanks largely to stand-in skipper Ishan Kishan, who blasted 80 off 38 balls with five sixes. A late surge came from Aniket Verma, who scored 43 off 18 deliveries. Their strong finish followed early struggles, as they were reduced to 29 for three after a disciplined spell from debutant Jacob Duffy, who took three for 22.
After Kishan and Heinrich Klaasen attempted to rebuild with a 97-run partnership, Klaasen fell for 31 in a controversial decision. Salt then produced a spectacular catch to dismiss Kishan. Although late hitting followed, Hyderabad’s total proved insufficient against a powerful Bengaluru batting lineup that chased down the target comfortably.
