SRH vs RCB, IPL 2026 Highlights: Bengaluru cement top spot, Sunrisers to finish third

Another academic development. Tim David takes a single off the first ball that he faces after Patidar falls and that takes RCB to 179. The top three this season is 1. RCB, 2. GT, 3. SRH. It's done, SRH are winning this match as well. There now remains eight of the most pressure-free deliveries one could ever get to see in the IPL. 

It's all academic now for SRH and so Cummins hands the ball to Head for the 19th over. And guess what, he ends up getting the wicket of Rajat Patidar. He pulls the second ball and puts it straight down the throat of deep midwicket. 

RCB are on 178, they need just one more run to confirm a top-place finish in the league this season. 

Patidar c Smaran b Head 56 (39)

Patidar hits the fourth ball of the 17th over to deep backward point for a four off Cummins in the 17th over and thus, RCB get to a score of 166. Quite fitting that it is the captain who scores those runs off the opposition captain. Two more runs in that over. 

Patidar on 49 off 36, Pandya on 32 off 23. 

RCB now looking to confirm a top-place finish for themselves, they can do that by scoring 178 or more today. 

Well it's pretty much confirmed now. RCB never really looked at chasing this big total, it is well beyond them now but who really cares about that. They need to score 17 runs in five overs to confirm a top-place finish in the league stage and, crucially, ensure that they are through to Qualifier 1. 

Pandya on 31 off 20, Patidar on 32 off 27. 

RCB 149/3 in 15 overs

Pat Cummins in an intense discussion with the umpire but it is not clear about what. RCB's required rate is 16.87 but they are going at 10.08. Yet, not many signs of Patidar or Pandya looking to go big any time soon. 

Pandya us on 16 off 11, Patidar on 20 off 18. 

100 comes up for RCB right at the end of the first 10 overs. Singles off all six balls of that 10th over bowled by Harshal Patel. Patidar unusually slow today. He has scored 15 in 12, Krunal Pandya at the other end on three off four. 

Another big one for Malinga. Fifth ball of the ninth over is full on leg, Padikkal flicks it away, straight into the hands of the fielder at deep midwicket. Well SRH are on top as far as the match itself is concerned but they need to restrict RCB below 166 to finish in the top two. That still seems quite unlikely. 

Padikkal c Abhishek Sharma b Malinga 21 (14)
RCB 94/3 in 8.5 overs

Well, it is Padikkal and Patidar out there, two players who have been in sensational form all season long and they are looking as good as ever. Harshal Patel bowled the last over of the powerplay and Sakib bowled the next. 

Padikkal on 20 off 12, Patidar on 10 off six. 

Sakib gets the covetted wicket. Hit straight to cover. It was a slower ball, full and wide of off. Kohli reaches out for it, going for his trademark shot, puts it straight into the hands of the fielder there. He didn't go for it with his usual grace, instead swung the bat with some power and miscued the shot somewhat. 

Kohli c Smaran b Sakib Hussain 15 (11)
RCB 74/2 in 5.5 overs

Eshan Malinga with the breakthrough for SRH. The third ball in the fifth over is short, angled across the batter. Iyer looks to pull but miscues his shot. Abhishek Sharma at deep midwicket, runs in and takes a good catch. In fact it is an incredible catch considering the woefull standards of fielding across the board this season. 

Venkatesh Iyer c Abhishek Sharma b Malinga 44 (19)

RCB 60/1 in 4.3 overs

Kohli gets into the act now. Cummins starts the third over with a length ball into Kohli, the latter sends it fine down leg side for four. Cummins follows it up with a full delivery outside off, Kohli breaks his wrists and sends it past midwicket for four. Cummins goes wide down leg next ball and then Kohli takes a single after that. Venkates then lofts the fourth ball over cover for a four. Venkates reviews the next ball hoping for a wide. After about an hour, the wide is not given. Single off the last ball.

Iyer on 22 off 12, Kohli on 11 off six. 

RCB 34/0 in 3 overs

Venkatesh Iyer and Virat Kohli opened the batting for RCB and the former dealt a couple of big blow to Pat Cummins in the first over. Two singles off the first four balls. Then Venkatesh goes across the stumps to a back of a length delivery and scoops it for four. The last ball was full from Cummins and Venkatesh sends it over short third for a six. 

SRH need to win by 90 runs to finish in the top 2. Conversely, RCB need to score at least 166 to seal a place in the top two and if they score 178, they finish top of the table.  

Kishan falls off the last ball of the innings. Considering how this surface has been, RCB would be quite confident of chasing down the target itself, let alone going past these other two marks.

NKR walked out and hit the first two balls he faced for sixes. Then another top edge off the last ball of the next over bowled by Hazlewood got him yet another six. 

He is on 23 off nine at the end of the 19th over, Kishan on 78 off 43. 

SRH 246/3 in 19 overs

Krunal with the big-wicket and that ends a 113-run partnership between Klaasen and Ishan Kishan off just 48 balls. Klaasen scored his sixth half-century of the season at the end of the 16th over. 

Klaasen c Iyer b Pandya 51 (24)

SRH 210/3 in 16.2 overs

SRH 210/3 in 16.2 overs 

Even Bhuvneshwar Kumar can't catch a break. He comes back for the 15th, the first ball is sent between deep backward square and deep midwicket by Kishan for a four. Bhuvi goes too high second ball and it's called a wide. Kishan then takes a single and takes himself to a 31-ball fifty. Klaasen mistimes a shot over covers fourth ball but the batters manage to run two. Then he plays a delayed pull past deep midwicket for a four. A lovely shot that, followed by an even better one. Bhuvi goes back of a length outside off last ball, Klaasen lifts it over cover for a six. 

Klaasen on 47 off 21, Kishan on 50 off 31. 

SRH 189/2 in 15 overs

Wow, just 13 runs off the 11th and 12th overs and then Klaasen does this to Hazlewood. Hazlewood first bowls a wide well over Kishan's head, then the batter takes a single. Hazlewood then goes fuller to Klaasen second ball of that over, the South African smashes it over cow corner for a six. Two wides after that and then Klaasen smashes the leather off the third ball over long on for a six. He goes for a biggie again next ball, top edge and it flies over short third for a four. Hazlewood then bowls a full toss, Klaasen sends it over long on for another six. A single to finish off the over, Klaasen on 28 off 14, Kishan on 38 of 26. 

SRH 156/2 in 13 overs

There has been a significant slowdown as Heinrich Klaasen looks to settle in. Ishan Kishan, on the other hand, is yet to get going really, he needs to go berzerk here. SRH need a huge score in place today to stand a chance at taking second place. 

Well, Cox had missed Abhishek's catch off Suyash in the spinner's last over. This time he completes it without touching the boundary. Abhishek tries to loft the second ball of the ninth over long off. Can't quite get the distance, Cox is there at long off and he takes the catch coolly. 

Abhishek Sharma c sub (Cox) b Suyash Sharma 56 (22)

SRH 97/2 in 8.2 overs

SRH vs RCB Live Score, IPL 2026: Romario Shepherd has been tonked to all parts of the ground here. He comes in for the eighth over, he overpitches first ball, Abhishek tries to loft it down the ground. Padikkal is at long off, he jumps and seems to get an outstretched hand to it but it goes through for a six. Tough chance, but a chance nonetheless, another one that has been let go of by RCB. A single next ball and then Abhishek gets back on strike fifth ball. He smashes the fifth over deep square for a six and that brings up a 20-ball half-century. The lastl ball is sent towards deep third where Hazlewood can't quite get to the ball for a diving catch. 

Abhishek on 56 off 21 at the end of that over, Kishan on 10 off 11. 

SRH 96/1 in 8 overs

Venkatesh Iyer had dropped a tough chance off Abhishek in the powerplay. Now in the 7th over, he gets another let off. First, Abhishek hits the third ball from Suyash over long off for six. Then he miscues another shot down the ground, Substitute fielder Jordan Cox gets under it and takes the catch. However, his momentum is taking him over the boundary, he throws the ball up but as he does so, he touches the ropes. Six given. Single next ball.

Abhishek is on 39 off 17, Ishan Kishan on nine off nine. 

SRH 77/1 in 7 overs

11 runs in that last over of the powerplay, also bowled by Rasikh, he has been very good for RCB in this period. Abhishek Sharma on 26 off 14 balls, Ishan Kishan at the other end on eight off six. SRH have gone at a run rate of just over 10.50 an over in this powerplay. 

Suyash Sharma to bowl the first over after powerplay. 

SRH 63/1 in 6 overs

Well it was not Hazleshwar but you Rasikh Salam who gets Travis Head! Off stump takes a hit and Head has to walk back. Rasikh was hit for three fours in that over. He had been going for yorkers and missing them all along. He nails it the last time on off, Head tries to back away and tonk it over the off side but he is late on the shot. 

Head b Rasikh Salam 26 (16)

SRH 45/1 in 4 overs

SRH vs RCB Live Score, IPL 2026: Hazleshwar vs Travishek has thus far gone the way of the latter, although only just. Head managed to get a four off Bhuvi and Abhishek then hammered the veteran pacer over mid off for a six in that first over. Head then smashed Hazlewood over midwicket for a four off the last ball of the second over.

All right then! Bhuvneshwar Kumar to bowl the first ball, with the opposition being the side he was the face of for about a decade. Abhishek Sharma is on strike, Travis Head at the other end. Here we go!

Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar(c), Venkatesh Iyer, Jitesh Sharma(w), Krunal Pandya, Romario Shepherd, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma, Rasikh Salam Dar

Sunrisers Hyderabad: Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan(w), Heinrich Klaasen, Salil Arora, Smaran Ravichandran, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Pat Cummins(c), Shivang Kumar, Eshan Malinga, Sakib Hussain

Pat Cummins: We'll bat first. I think it's a long shot getting in the top two, but we'll give it a good crack tonight. We've been pretty clear that the boys are going to enjoy it tonight. We're going to test out how good you are, maybe try a few new things ahead of the finals. But just, again, bat first, try and score as big as we can see if we can defend. (On this season) Yeah, it's been really pleasing to get the qualification before this last game. The guys have been really consistent all year. So, yeah, this one, probably the last one before we start getting really serious. (On the supporters) They've been amazing here at Uppal. All the streets have been lined, the hotel's been busy the last few days. Yeah, we've had pretty won every night game here as well this season. So, hopefully finish off on a good note. Same combination as the last game.

Rajat Patidar: I feel, wherever we go, it's a home game for us. (What do you want to take out of this game?) According to me, I think it doesn't matter where you are standing in the points table. Whether you are on the top or the bottom, you have to play and you have to match the standards in every game. (On ticking a lot of boxes this season) Yeah, that's what I think. That's important when you play a competitive game like IPL, very difficult. It's important if you win, if you are targeting a final match to win the championship, you have to tick all the boxes. (On not having too many injuries) Yeah, definitely. This time we are not facing any kind of injury. There's one change. Bethell got injured. He got an injury in his finger and I'm coming in place of Bethell.

Pat Cummins has won the toss and SRH are batting first. This means they have to win today by about 88 runs if they score over 200. 

All right here we go! Pat Cummins and Rajat Patidar are out there, as are the match referee and Ravi Shastri. Final league game of the season for these 2 sides. 

As stated earlier, just two points separate SRH and RCB but they are also behind on NRR by 0.715. Between RCB and SRH are GT who are second on the table, on 18 points and with an NRR of +0.695. And so, for SRH to finish in the top two, they will need to beat RCB by 88 runs if they score 220 or by 87 runs if they score 200. If they're chasing, say, 150, SRH will need to win in around 11.1 to 11.3 overs. If they manage to achieve this, they will better RCB's NRR and SRH and GT will finish top two. If not, RCB and GT will cement the top two spots.

Duffy has a mixed bag of results against SRH's openers. Jacob Duffy has dismissed Travis Head three times in four T20 innings. Head has a strike rate of just 116 against him. However, Abhishek Sharma has a strike rate of 242 against Duffy. 

At the top are RCB on 18 points with a net run rate of 1.065. Gujarat Titans are second with 18 points and a net run rate of 0.695, they have played all of their 14 matches. SRH are third with 16 points and a net run rate of 0.350. SRH and RCB are playing their 14th and final league game today. 

This might seem like a dead rubber at first glance since both these sides are through to the playoffs but it is far, far from it. RCB are first with 18 points, SRH are third but on 16 points. The side that finishes in the top two have to play just one playoff to reach the final and have a second chance if they lose that as well. 

It's a clear-cut battle for a Qualifier 1 spot in Hyderabad today. It will be an uphill task for Hyderabad to topple RCB's superior run rate today. They will need a colossal victory to stand a chance. Meanwhile, the visitors simply need to hold onto what has been routine to seal a top-two finish.