{"id":2347,"date":"2026-03-28T15:00:10","date_gmt":"2026-03-28T15:00:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iplruns.in\/?p=2347"},"modified":"2026-05-15T23:02:35","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T17:32:35","slug":"rcb-vs-srh-playing-xi-today-predicted-lineups-for-ipl-2026-match-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/iplruns.in\/hi\/rcb-vs-srh-playing-xi-today-predicted-lineups-for-ipl-2026-match-1\/","title":{"rendered":"RCB vs SRH Playing XI Today: Predicted Lineups for IPL 2026 Match 1"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>The toss for RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 is at 7:00 PM IST \u2014 fantasy teams lock around the same time. Both sides head into tonight&#8217;s Chinnaswamy opener with confirmed injury news: Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal and Nuwan Thushara are all absent for RCB, while SRH&#8217;s Pat Cummins and Jack Edwards miss out too. Here are the predicted XIs based on available squad news and team training reports.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-aioseo-table-of-contents\"><ul><li><a class=\"aioseo-toc-item\" href=\"#royal-challengers-bengaluru-predicted-playing-xi\">Royal Challengers Bengaluru \u2014 Predicted Playing XI<\/a><\/li><li><a class=\"aioseo-toc-item\" href=\"#sunrisers-hyderabad-predicted-playing-xi\">Sunrisers Hyderabad \u2014 Predicted Playing XI<\/a><\/li><li><a class=\"aioseo-toc-item\" href=\"#key-changes-and-why-they-matter\">Key Changes and Why They Matter<\/a><\/li><li><a class=\"aioseo-toc-item\" href=\"#overseas-player-slots\">Overseas Player Slots<\/a><\/li><li><a class=\"aioseo-toc-item\" href=\"#impact-player-selection\">Impact Player Selection<\/a><\/li><li><a class=\"aioseo-toc-item\" href=\"#frequently-asked-questions\">Frequently Asked Questions<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"royal-challengers-bengaluru-predicted-playing-xi\">Royal Challengers Bengaluru \u2014 Predicted Playing XI<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Virat Kohli<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 Batter (Opener)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Phil Salt<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 Wicketkeeper-Batter (Opener)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Devdutt Padikkal<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 Batter<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Rajat Patidar (c)<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 Batter<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Jitesh Sharma (wk)<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 Wicketkeeper-Batter<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Tim David<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 All-Rounder<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Romario Shepherd<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 All-Rounder<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Krunal Pandya<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 All-Rounder<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Bhuvneshwar Kumar<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 Bowler<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Jacob Duffy<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 Bowler (IPL Debut)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Suyash Sharma<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 Bowler (Leg-Spinner)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>This is the XI that makes the most sense given RCB&#8217;s injury situation. Devdutt Padikkal slots in at three \u2014 a position he handled effectively in IPL 2025 after returning to RCB. Jitesh Sharma keeps wicket despite Phil Salt being in the squad, because Salt is too valuable a batter to have back behind the stumps when the side needs batting depth against SRH&#8217;s attack. Jacob Duffy is expected to start \u2014 RCB coach Andy Flower confirmed on March 28 morning that the squad is focused on execution and Duffy has looked sharp in the pre-season sessions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Venkatesh Iyer, Jacob Bethell, and Mangesh Yadav are the notable omissions. Bethell and Mangesh are the likeliest impact sub candidates depending on what the match situation demands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"sunrisers-hyderabad-predicted-playing-xi\">Sunrisers Hyderabad \u2014 Predicted Playing XI<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Abhishek Sharma<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 Batter (Opener)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Travis Head<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 Batter (Opener)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Ishan Kishan (c &amp; wk)<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 Wicketkeeper-Batter<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Nitish Kumar Reddy<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 All-Rounder<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Heinrich Klaasen<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 Batter<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Liam Livingstone<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 All-Rounder<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Aniket Verma<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 Batter<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Harsh Dubey<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 Bowler (Off-Spinner)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Harshal Patel<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 Bowler<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Brydon Carse<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 Bowler<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Eshan Malinga<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 Bowler<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>SRH&#8217;s batting order picks itself \u2014 Head and Abhishek open, Kishan at three in the captain&#8217;s role. The selection debate is at the bottom. Liam Livingstone&#8217;s \u20b913 crore buy means he&#8217;s in regardless of his overs. Eshan Malinga, Sri Lanka&#8217;s left-arm seamer, is expected to get the nod over Jaydev Unadkat for his pace and awkward angle. Kamindu Mendis, the Sri Lanka spin all-rounder, is likely to be named impact sub.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One tactical question: SRH could push Nitish Kumar Reddy up to five ahead of Klaasen given his ability to play pace well, or keep Klaasen in that position for his power at the back end. Either way, this top five is effectively their batting lineup \u2014 the bowling begins at six.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"key-changes-and-why-they-matter\">Key Changes and Why They Matter<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>This is the first match of the season, so there are no &#8220;changes from last match&#8221; to analyse. What matters is how both teams have adapted to their injury situations. RCB&#8217;s biggest hole is at the seam \u2014 they&#8217;ve essentially gone from Hazlewood-Kumar-Dayal as their three-pronged pace attack in 2025 to Kumar-Duffy-Shepherd\/Abhinandan tonight. That&#8217;s a significant step down in experience and quality. Whether Duffy can fill the Hazlewood role immediately \u2014 nipping the ball back at awkward heights on a good length \u2014 determines whether RCB&#8217;s bowling is competitive or leaky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For SRH, the absence of Cummins (who would normally bowl 4 overs at death) creates a captaincy headache for Kishan. Who bowls overs 18\u201320? Harshal is the most experienced death bowler available, but he&#8217;s been inconsistent. Brydon Carse can hit the pitch hard. Neither is Cummins. Kishan will need his batting to compensate for SRH&#8217;s bowling shortfall \u2014 which is exactly what he&#8217;s been doing for Jharkhand and India over the past year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"overseas-player-slots\">Overseas Player Slots<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><th>Team<\/th><th>Overseas Picks (4 max)<\/th><th>Notable Omission<\/th><\/tr><tr><td><strong>RCB<\/strong><\/td><td>Phil Salt (ENG), Tim David (SIN), Romario Shepherd (WI), Jacob Duffy (NZ)<\/td><td>Jacob Bethell (ENG) \u2014 likely impact sub<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>SRH<\/strong><\/td><td>Travis Head (AUS), Liam Livingstone (ENG), Heinrich Klaasen (SA), Brydon Carse (ENG)<\/td><td>Eshan Malinga (SL) \u2014 if Indian bowler preferred, Malinga gives way<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>RCB&#8217;s overseas combination is balanced \u2014 two batting heavyweights (Salt, David), a bowling all-rounder (Shepherd), and a specialist seamer (Duffy). SRH&#8217;s overseas contingent is almost entirely batting \u2014 Head, Klaasen and Livingstone are three of their most dangerous batters. Carse gives them a pace option. That&#8217;s four very expensive batting resources and one multi-role bowler, with the expectation that the Indian bowlers (Dubey, Harshal, Malinga, Kishan) do the heavy bowling lifting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"impact-player-selection\">Impact Player Selection<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>RCB&#8217;s likely impact sub:<\/strong>&nbsp;Jacob Bethell (batting reinforcement in chase or powerplay boost) or Mangesh Yadav (extra bowling option if Duffy or Suyash leaks early). Given Chinnaswamy&#8217;s batting-friendly nature and the dew factor, Bethell as a batting impact sub mid-innings looks the smarter call if RCB are chasing a big total.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>SRH&#8217;s likely impact sub:<\/strong>&nbsp;Kamindu Mendis (Sri Lanka spin all-rounder) for bowling depth, or Salil Arora if they want an extra Indian seamer. Mendis batting at 6\u20137 as a replacement is the more versatile option given he can also contribute useful overs of off-spin on a Chinnaswamy surface that won&#8217;t assist orthodox spin much, but can still be useful in the powerplay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"frequently-asked-questions\">Frequently Asked Questions<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"what-is-rcb-s-playing-xi-today-vs-srh-in-ipl-2026\"><strong>Q1. What is RCB&#8217;s playing XI today vs SRH in IPL 2026?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Devdutt Padikkal,&nbsp;<strong>Rajat Patidar (c)<\/strong>, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jacob Duffy, Suyash Sharma. Impact sub: Jacob Bethell or Mangesh Yadav.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"what-is-srh-s-playing-xi-today-vs-rcb-in-ipl-2026\"><strong>Q2. What is SRH&#8217;s playing XI today vs RCB in IPL 2026?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head,&nbsp;<strong>Ishan Kishan (c &amp; wk)<\/strong>, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen, Liam Livingstone, Aniket Verma, Harsh Dubey, Harshal Patel, Brydon Carse, Eshan Malinga. Impact sub: Kamindu Mendis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"is-virat-kohli-playing-today-vs-srh\"><strong>Q3. Is Virat Kohli playing today vs SRH?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yes. Kohli is in the predicted XI, opening the batting alongside Phil Salt. He&#8217;s fully fit and has been in excellent pre-season form, according to the RCB coaching team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p id=\"who-are-the-overseas-players-for-rcb-today\"><strong>Q4. Who are the overseas players for RCB today?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Phil Salt, Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Jacob Duffy \u2014 with Jacob Bethell as the impact sub option from the overseas pool.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The toss for RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 is at 7:00 PM IST \u2014 fantasy teams lock around the same time. Both sides head into tonight&#8217;s Chinnaswamy opener with confirmed injury news: Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal and Nuwan Thushara are all absent for RCB, while SRH&#8217;s Pat Cummins and Jack Edwards miss out too. Here [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2331,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_gspb_post_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[207,224],"tags":[220,214],"class_list":["post-2347","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ipl","category-t20","tag-ipl","tag-ipl-hot-now"],"blocksy_meta":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/iplruns.in\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2347","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/iplruns.in\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/iplruns.in\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iplruns.in\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iplruns.in\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2347"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/iplruns.in\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2347\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2348,"href":"https:\/\/iplruns.in\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2347\/revisions\/2348"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iplruns.in\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2331"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/iplruns.in\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2347"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iplruns.in\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2347"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iplruns.in\/hi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2347"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}