SunRisers Hyderabad will take on Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the opening fixture of TATA IPL 2026 at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru, this Saturday. The power-packed Orange Army line-up will be led by Ishan Kishan, who takes charge in the absence of Pat Cummins. Ishan Kishan and Abhishek Sharma, both entering the 2026 edition as T20 World champions, will once again form a vital cog in the batting order alongside the experienced Travis Head. Head and Sharma, who remain the only opening pair in IPL history with a strike rate of 200+ in their partnerships, are set for a third consecutive season at the top. Ishan Kishan, who made his SRH debut last year, seamlessly fitted into the explosive top order, amassing 354 runs at a strike rate in excess of 150. Abhishek Sharma scored 923 runs over the last two seasons at a strike rate nearing 200, while Travis Head smashed 941 runs in the same period at a strike rate of 179. Heinrich Klaasen has been a consistent presence among the top run-getters since making his SRH debut in 2023. The big-hitting Protea batter has scored in excess of 1,500 runs across these three seasons for the Orange Army, consistently delivering impactful performances in record-breaking batting displays. Local talent Nitish Kumar Reddy and youngster Aniket Verma showed considerable promise in the latter stages of the innings. Joining this unit for the current edition is the big-hitting English star Liam Livingstone, who brings a wealth of T20 experience to the middle order, having scored over 7,500 runs in the format. Kamindu Mendis also adds an exciting all-round option. Senior pacers Jaydev Unadkat and Harshal Patel bring in experience and wicket-taking ability alongside Harsh Dubey, who was recently named the best all-rounder in Indian domestic cricket in 2025. Eshan Malinga returns for a second season, having picked up 13 wickets in seven matches last year. Shivam Mavi and Brydon Carse are additional reinforcements to the bowling unit, both capable of contributing with the bat. Several other exciting young cricketers, including Salil Arora, Shivang Kumar, Smaran Ravichandran, Krains Fuletra, and Zeeshan Ansari, add much-needed depth to the Indian talent pool. The pace department has also been strengthened with the addition of promising youngsters such as Onkar Tarmale, Amit Kumar, Sakib Hussain, and Praful Hinge. David Payne also joins the squad for the 2026 edition, replacing Jack Edwards, who has been ruled out of the season due to injury. SunRisers Hyderabad lead the head-to-head record against their opening-match opponents, having won 13 of the 25 encounters between the two teams. Royal Challengers Bengaluru have secured 11 victories, while one match ended in no result. The last two seasons saw the team shatter several batting records, including registering five scores of 250 or more—becoming the only team in the tournament to achieve this feat. Numerous other records, including the highest team totals, most sixes in a season, highest powerplay score, and most runs in the first 10 overs, are also held by the team. As the new season is upon us, once again, the squad is ready to Play With Fire. SunRisers Hyderabad Squad Ishan Kishan (captain), Abhishek Sharma, Heinrich Klaasen, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Travis Head, Aniket Verma, Salil Arora, Smaran Ravichandran, Liam Livingstone, Kamindu Mendis, Eshan Malinga, Shivang Kumar, Shivam Mavi, Krains Fuletra, Jaydev Unadkat, Harshal Patel, Praful Hinge, David Payne, Brydon Carse, Onkar Tarmale, Sakib Hussain, Amit Kumar, Harsh Dubey, Pat Cummins* Note* — Pat Cummins will remain unavailable for selection for the first few games.