The 19th edition of the Indian Premier League commenced with Royal Challengers Bengaluru, the defending champions, triumphing over Sunrisers Hyderabad. BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia, along with other officials including ICC chair Jay Shah and IPL chairman Arun Dhumal, expressed their anticipation for an exciting season. Veteran Telugu actor Venkatesh Daggubati graced the high-energy IPL encounter at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Saikia shared his excitement for IPL 2026, as RCB started their campaign impressively by chasing down a challenging target of 202 runs to defeat SRH by six wickets. Virat Kohli, making a T20 comeback after ten months, thrilled the crowd with an unbeaten 69 off 38 balls, supported by Devdutt Padikkal’s aggressive 61 off 26 balls.
Before the match, a minute’s silence was observed in memory of eleven fans who lost their lives in a stampede during RCB’s previous title celebrations. Both teams honored the deceased by wearing black armbands and reserving 11 seats in the stadium as a tribute.
