RCB vs SRH Playing XI Today: Predicted Lineups for IPL 2026 Match 1

The toss for RCB vs SRH IPL 2026 is at 7:00 PM IST — fantasy teams lock around the same time. Both sides head into tonight’s Chinnaswamy opener with confirmed injury news: Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal and Nuwan Thushara are all absent for RCB, while SRH’s Pat Cummins and Jack Edwards miss out too. Here are the predicted XIs based on available squad news and team training reports.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru — Predicted Playing XI

1. Virat Kohli — Batter (Opener)
2. Phil Salt — Wicketkeeper-Batter (Opener)
3. Devdutt Padikkal — Batter
4. Rajat Patidar (c) — Batter
5. Jitesh Sharma (wk) — Wicketkeeper-Batter
6. Tim David — All-Rounder
7. Romario Shepherd — All-Rounder
8. Krunal Pandya — All-Rounder
9. Bhuvneshwar Kumar — Bowler
10. Jacob Duffy — Bowler (IPL Debut)
11. Suyash Sharma — Bowler (Leg-Spinner)

This is the XI that makes the most sense given RCB’s injury situation. Devdutt Padikkal slots in at three — 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’s attack. Jacob Duffy is expected to start — 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.

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.

Sunrisers Hyderabad — Predicted Playing XI

1. Abhishek Sharma — Batter (Opener)
2. Travis Head — Batter (Opener)
3. Ishan Kishan (c & wk) — Wicketkeeper-Batter
4. Nitish Kumar Reddy — All-Rounder
5. Heinrich Klaasen — Batter
6. Liam Livingstone — All-Rounder
7. Aniket Verma — Batter
8. Harsh Dubey — Bowler (Off-Spinner)
9. Harshal Patel — Bowler
10. Brydon Carse — Bowler
11. Eshan Malinga — Bowler

SRH’s batting order picks itself — Head and Abhishek open, Kishan at three in the captain’s role. The selection debate is at the bottom. Liam Livingstone’s ₹13 crore buy means he’s in regardless of his overs. Eshan Malinga, Sri Lanka’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.

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 — the bowling begins at six.

Key Changes and Why They Matter

This is the first match of the season, so there are no “changes from last match” to analyse. What matters is how both teams have adapted to their injury situations. RCB’s biggest hole is at the seam — they’ve essentially gone from Hazlewood-Kumar-Dayal as their three-pronged pace attack in 2025 to Kumar-Duffy-Shepherd/Abhinandan tonight. That’s a significant step down in experience and quality. Whether Duffy can fill the Hazlewood role immediately — nipping the ball back at awkward heights on a good length — determines whether RCB’s bowling is competitive or leaky.

For SRH, the absence of Cummins (who would normally bowl 4 overs at death) creates a captaincy headache for Kishan. Who bowls overs 18–20? Harshal is the most experienced death bowler available, but he’s been inconsistent. Brydon Carse can hit the pitch hard. Neither is Cummins. Kishan will need his batting to compensate for SRH’s bowling shortfall — which is exactly what he’s been doing for Jharkhand and India over the past year.

Overseas Player Slots

Team	Overseas Picks (4 max)	Notable Omission
RCB	Phil Salt (ENG), Tim David (SIN), Romario Shepherd (WI), Jacob Duffy (NZ)	Jacob Bethell (ENG) — likely impact sub
SRH	Travis Head (AUS), Liam Livingstone (ENG), Heinrich Klaasen (SA), Brydon Carse (ENG)	Eshan Malinga (SL) — if Indian bowler preferred, Malinga gives way

RCB’s overseas combination is balanced — two batting heavyweights (Salt, David), a bowling all-rounder (Shepherd), and a specialist seamer (Duffy). SRH’s overseas contingent is almost entirely batting — Head, Klaasen and Livingstone are three of their most dangerous batters. Carse gives them a pace option. That’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.

Impact Player Selection

RCB’s likely impact sub: Jacob Bethell (batting reinforcement in chase or powerplay boost) or Mangesh Yadav (extra bowling option if Duffy or Suyash leaks early). Given Chinnaswamy’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.

SRH’s likely impact sub: Kamindu Mendis (Sri Lanka spin all-rounder) for bowling depth, or Salil Arora if they want an extra Indian seamer. Mendis batting at 6–7 as a replacement is the more versatile option given he can also contribute useful overs of off-spin on a Chinnaswamy surface that won’t assist orthodox spin much, but can still be useful in the powerplay.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. What is RCB’s playing XI today vs SRH in IPL 2026?

Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (c), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jacob Duffy, Suyash Sharma. Impact sub: Jacob Bethell or Mangesh Yadav.

Q2. What is SRH’s playing XI today vs RCB in IPL 2026?

Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan (c & wk), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen, Liam Livingstone, Aniket Verma, Harsh Dubey, Harshal Patel, Brydon Carse, Eshan Malinga. Impact sub: Kamindu Mendis.

Q3. Is Virat Kohli playing today vs SRH?

Yes. Kohli is in the predicted XI, opening the batting alongside Phil Salt. He’s fully fit and has been in excellent pre-season form, according to the RCB coaching team.

Q4. Who are the overseas players for RCB today?

Phil Salt, Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Jacob Duffy — with Jacob Bethell as the impact sub option from the overseas pool.