Royal Challengers Bengaluru Predicted XI vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, IPL 2026: Rs 7 Crore Buy In; Who Replaces Josh Hazlewood?

The IPL 2026 is here and Royal Challengers Bengaluru take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in the opening match at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday. The defending champions will be looking to start their campaign on a positive note but the absence of star pacer Josh Hazlewood will be a major point of concern. Hazlewood has joined the squad but he is expected to miss the initial part of the competition. RCB retained the core of the squad that clinched the title in 2015 and has added batter Venkatesh Iyer for Rs 7 crore and New Zealand cricket team fast bowler Jacob Duffy.

The onus will once again be on the opening pair of Virat Kohli and Phil Salt to provide RCB with a brilliant start. Kohli has been a mainstay for the franchise since the very first IPL and he will be looking to have another high-scoring year while Salt has made it a habit to play explosive knocks at the top of the innings and he will once again play a well-defined role for the side.

New recruit Venkatesh Iyer is expected to bat at No. 3 with skipper Rajat Patidar coming out to bat at No. 4. The duo of Jitesh Sharma and Tim David is expected to provide the much-needed firepower to the middle order.

Coming to all-rounders, Krunal Pandya and Romario Shepherd were both in sublime form last season and a repeat of their performances can massively boost RCB's chances of reaching the playoffs.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Suryash Sharma are expected to take their place in the bowling attack with Jacob Duffy replacing the injured Hazlewood. Young left-arm pacer Mangesh Yadav can be included as the impact player.

RCB Predicted XI: Phil Salt, Virat Kohli, Venkatesh Iyer, Rajat Patidar, Jitesh Sharma, Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Romario Shepherd, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Suyash Sharma, Jacob Duffy

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