IPL 2026 RCB vs SRH 1st Match Each Team Best Playing 11
With Aussie pacers missing, discover the RCB vs SRH match 1 both teams best playing 11 for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026.
It’s match 1 of the TATA IPL 2026, and we have the two heavyweights, Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Sunrisers Hyderabad, taking on each other in the tournament opener. What a moment for the 19th edition of the Indian Premier League, with two terrific batting giants taking on each other on probably the flattest wicket in the tournament. It’s going be an epic encounter – much like what we had seen in the IPL 2008 RCB vs KKR clash.
On one side, we have the aggressive batting unit comprising Phil Salt, Virat Kohli, Tim David, Jitesh Sharma, etc. Whereas on the other side, we have the likes of Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan, Heinrich Klaasen, etc. Phewww, it’s going be a run feast, and this is exactly what the fans will be looking for, for a tournament opener. But both teams will be without their first-choice Overseas pacer, and that could be a sign of worry.
While Josh Hazlewood is expected to miss a few matches for RCB, Pat Cummins is expected to miss at least 7 matches. These two Aussie pacers are the spearhead of the RCB and SRH bowling attack, and missing this game and the upcoming games will be a dent to an already weak bowling lineup of both teams. So, with the match just moments away, let’s review the current squad of both teams, and find out the RCB vs SRH match 1 best playing 11 for IPL 2026.
Key Match Details
Tournament: Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026
Match Details: RCB vs SRH 1st Match
Where: Chinnaswamy, Bengaluru
When: March 28, 2026, 7:30 pm IST
The pitch at Chinnaswamy needs no introduction. It is probably the flattest wicket of the tournament, and that means, not just 200, but even 250 possible if SRH bat first, and RCB chase it. Also, given the weak bowling lineup of each team, a high score possibility cannot be ruled out. But for the longevity of the game, a competitive 170-180 pitch may just give enough ammo for the bowlers to have a shot at the batters.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) Complete Squad List for IPL 2026
Batters
- Devdutt Padikkal
- Rajat Patidar
- Satvik Deswal
- Tim David (OS)
- Virat Kohli
Wicket-keepers
- Jitesh Sharma
- Jordan Cox (OS)
- Phil Salt (OS)
All-rounders
- Jacob Bethell (OS)
- Kanishk Chouhan
- Krunal Pandya
- Mangesh Yadav
- Romario Shepherd (OS)
- Swapnil Singh
- Venkatesh Iyer
- Vihaan Malhotra
- Vicky Ostwal
Bowlers
- Abhinandan Singh
- Bhuvneshwar Kumar
- Jacob Duffy (OS)
- Josh Hazlewood (OS)
- Nuwan Thushara (OS)
- Rasikh Dar
- Suyash Sharma
- Yash Dayal
If we start with the best playing 11 for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, the first question that comes to mind is who replaces the pace duo of Josh Hazlewood and Yash Dayal. While Hazlewood is out due to injury, Yash Dayal will miss this season due to personal reasons. So, with two strong bowlers gone, expect RCB to start with Jacob Duffy as the replacement for Josh Hazlewood, and Mangesh Yadav as the replacement for Yash Dayal. The two may not match the skills of Hazelewood or Dayal, but they don’t have any other option either.
Aside from these two changes, RCB’s remaining 9 players should be the same as they had played as their strongest XI in IPL 2025. So, we should see Virat Kohli and Phil Salt as openers, Venkatesh Iyer should be the new number 3 in place of Mayank Agarwal, Rajat Patidar should play at 4, Tim David and Jitesh Sharma should focus on the middle-order finisher role. Romari Shepherd and Krunal Pandya will take care of the finishing duties. Whereas Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Suyash Sharma, and other bowlers will complete the rest of the bowling lineup.
IPL 2026 RCB vs SRH Match 1 Best Playing 11 for Royal Challengers Bengaluru
- Virat Kohli
- Phil Salt
- Venkatesh Iyer
- Rajat Patidar (c)
- Tim David
- Jitesh Sharma (wk)
- Romario Shepherd
- Krunal Pandya
- Bhuvneshwar Kumar
- Jacob Duffy
- Mangesh Yadav
Best Impact Player: Suyash Sharma
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) Complete Squad List for IPL 2026
Batters
- Aniket Verma
- Smaran Ravichandran
- Travis Head (OS)
Wicket-keepers
- Heinrich Klaasen (OS)
- Ishan Kishan
- Salil Arora
All-rounders
- Abhishek Sharma
- Brydon Carse (OS)
- David Payne (OS)
- Kamindu Mendis (OS)
- Liam Livingstone (OS)
- Nitish Reddy
- Shivang Kumar
Bowlers
- Amit Kumar
- Ehsan Malinga (OS)
- Harsh Dubey
- Harshal Patel
- Jaydev Unadkat
- Krains Fuletra
- Onkar Tarmale
- Pat Cummins (OS)
- Praful Hinge
- Sakib Hussain
- Shivam Mavi
- Zeeshan Ansari
Sunrisers Hyderabad are also facing a similar problem as RCB. With Pat Cummins not there, expect SRH to start with Brydon Carse as their potential number 8 and death overs bowler. Given the rise of Shivang Kumar as the left-arm chinaman bowler, expect him to bow alongside Zeeshan Ansari, who also did well for SRH last year. These three, combined with Harshal Patel and Zeeshan Ansari, will complete the rest of the bowling lineup.
The batting will once again be the centre of attraction for SRH, who will be happier with the addition of Liam Livingstone. Having someone like Livingstone at 5-6-7 will give a lot of confidence to the batters like Abhishek, Head, and Kishan. They can play with a lot of firepower, and that makes the SRH batting lineup probably the most dangerous in the competition. The SHR team will also be expecting 1-2 overs every match from Nitish Reddy, who looks to have revived his bowling with a revamped bowling action.
IPL 2026 RCB vs SRH Match 1 Best Playing 11 for Sunrisers Hyderabad
- Abhishek Sharma
- Travis Head
- Ishan Kishan (c)
- Heinrich Klaasen (wk)
- Liam Livingstone
- Nitish Reddy
- Aniket Verma
- Brydon Carse
- Harshal Patel
- Shivang Kumar
- Zeeshan Ansari
Best Impact Player: Jaydev Unadkat
Thanks for reading! What’s your best playing 11 for the RCB vs SRH Match 1 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026? Please email your thoughts to business@cricalytics.com
