Sunrisers Hyderabad Fights Back to Set Competitive Total Against RCB in IPL 2026 Opener

Sunrisers Hyderabad's Resilient Performance

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], March 28: In a thrilling start to the IPL 2026 season, Sunrisers Hyderabad made a remarkable comeback after an early batting slump, finishing with a total of 201 runs for 9 wickets against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in their opening match on Saturday.

After a shaky start that saw them lose three wickets quickly during the power play, Ishan Kishan's outstanding innings, along with crucial contributions from the lower order, propelled Hyderabad past the 200-run milestone.

Batting first, the defending champions faced a challenging beginning as RCB's debutant bowler Jacob Duffy dismissed both openers cheaply.

Sunrisers lost Abhishek Sharma on the very first ball of the third over, with the left-handed batsman managing only seven runs. Duffy struck again, sending Travis Head back for just 11 runs, leaving the visitors at a mere 23 runs.

Hyderabad's troubles continued when Duffy took out all-rounder Nitish Reddy for just one run during the second ball of the fifth over, leaving them at 49/3 by the end of the sixth over.

However, stand-in captain Ishan Kishan and wicketkeeper Heinrich Klaasen steadied the innings, guiding the team to 70/3 in eight overs. By the end of the tenth over, Hyderabad had improved to a respectable 87/3.

Romario Shepherd ended the threatening 97-run partnership between Klaasen and Kishan when he dismissed Klaasen for 31 runs on the first ball of the 14th over.

In the following over, leg-spinner Suyash Sharma claimed the wicket of Salil Arora, who scored nine runs, leaving Sunrisers at 142/5.

Sharma also took the crucial wicket of Ishan Kishan, who scored a brilliant 80 runs off 38 balls, featuring eight fours and five sixes, during the last ball of the 16th over.

Hyderabad faced further setbacks as Shepherd dismissed Harsh Dubey for just three runs, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar took out Harshal Patel, who was out for a two-ball duck. By the end of the 18th over, the score stood at 175/8.

In the 19th over, Aniket Verma showcased his hitting prowess with two sixes and a four before Shepherd took his wicket. Verma's explosive innings of 43 runs off just 18 balls included three fours and four sixes. Ultimately, Sunrisers finished their innings at 201/9 after 20 overs.

For the defending champions, Jacob Duffy and Romario Shepherd each took three wickets, with Duffy finishing with figures of 3/22 and Shepherd 3/54. Bhuvneshwar Kumar (1/31), Abhinandan Singh (1/38), and Suyash Sharma (1/28) each contributed with a wicket.