Agencies
Bengaluru
Devdutt Padikkal’s 26-ball-61 crusted with class and Virat Kohli’s masterly unbeaten half-century powered Royal Challengers Bengaluru to a dominant six-wicket victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL 2026’s season-opening match here on Saturday.
Padikkal and Kohli (69 not out, 38b) stitched 101 runs off a mere 45 balls for the second wicket stand, lending meat to RCB’s successful chase of 202 in just 15.4 overs. The hosts finished at 203/4 to start their title defence in spectacular style.
After Phil Salt was jettisoned early, Kohli and Padikkal, in particular, treated the Chinnaswamy crowd to a brilliant batting exhibition.
Their approach to batting was as different as chalk and cheese. Padikkal was all wrists, feet and thunderous cuts while Kohli dished out his favourite drives, shots on the ‘V’ and the money shot – the swat flick.
Padikkal oozed the left-hander’s class even while plundering 6, 4, 6 off pacer David Payne and later while biffing spinner Harsh Dubey for a 4 and 6 off successive deliveries.
The Karnataka batter fetched his fifty off just 21 balls with a four off Harshal Patel.
Kohli brought out his swat, a shot with minimum feet movement and shot arm-throw, against pacers Jaydev Unadkat and Eshan Malinga as runs flowed thick and fast – team 50 came in fourth over, Power Play produced 76 and 100 cascaded in just 8.1 overs.
But the free-flowing alliance was snapped when Padikkal was holed out to Heinrich Klaasen, who had earlier spilled Kohli on 28 off RCB alumni Harshal, at long-on.
Kohli soon reached his half-century off 33 balls with a single off left-arm seamer Payne.
