IPL 2026: Royal Challengers Bengaluru Set to Face Chennai Super Kings

Bengaluru. The Indian Premier League (IPL) continues with a double-header for the second consecutive day. The second match of the day and the 11th of the season will feature Royal Challengers Bengaluru against Chennai Super Kings.

The match will begin at 7:45 PM at Bengaluru's home ground, the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. Bengaluru started their season on a high note by defeating Hyderabad.

On the other hand, Chennai has lost both of their opening matches. In the points table, Bengaluru sits in third place, while Chennai is in 10th.

• Chennai holds a 61% win rate against Bengaluru

A total of 36 matches have been played between Bengaluru and Chennai so far. Chennai has won 22, while Bengaluru has secured victory in 13. One match ended with no result. Statistically, Chennai has won 61% of the games against Bengaluru.

At the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, these two teams have faced each other 12 times. Bengaluru has won 6, Chennai has won 5, and one match yielded no result. Last season, the two teams met twice, and Bengaluru emerged victorious in both encounters.

• Chennai Super Kings' bowling struggles

Chennai's batsmen performed brilliantly in the previous match. Ayush Mhatre scored 73 runs off 43 balls with 6 fours and 5 sixes against Punjab. Captain Ruturaj Gaikwad contributed 28 runs, while Sarfaraz Khan played a quick-fire innings of 32 runs off just 12 balls.

Similarly, Shivam Dube remained unbeaten on 45 off 27 balls. However, the team's bowlers failed to perform as expected and could not defend a massive target of 210 runs.

• Kohli's half-century in the opening game

Virat Kohli scored a half-century in Bengaluru's first match of the season. Playing against Hyderabad, Kohli scored 69 runs. With the help of his fifty, the team chased down the target of 202 runs in the 16th over.

In bowling, Jacob Duffy took 3 wickets and was named Player of the Match.

• Chinnaswamy pitch favors batting

The M. Chinnaswamy Stadium pitch is generally considered favorable for batsmen. In the season opener, Hyderabad set a target of 202 runs, which Bengaluru chased down easily in the 16th over, losing only 4 wickets.

A total of 101 IPL matches have been played at this venue. The team batting first has won 43, while the team bowling first has won 54, with 4 matches ending in no result. The highest team score at this ground is 287/3, set by Sunrisers Hyderabad against Royal Challengers Bengaluru last year.

Players to watch

• Bhuvneshwar Kumar

With 199 wickets, Bhuvneshwar Kumar is the second-highest wicket-taker in IPL history. Against Hyderabad, he showed excellent control in both the powerplay and death overs. His spell with the new ball was 2-0-15-0.

Even when Hyderabad added 46 runs in the final four overs, he managed a spell of 2-0-16-1. He took 17 wickets last season. With Josh Hazlewood absent from the team, Bhuvneshwar's success will be crucial for Bengaluru in stopping the opposition.

• Sanju Samson

There was much hype and excitement when Sanju Samson joined Chennai. He is seen as the successor to MS Dhoni in this franchise. He entered the IPL after playing brilliant innings of 97*, 89, and 89 for India in the T20 World Cup.

However, at the start of this season, Samson has only scored 6 and 7 runs in two matches. Now, playing at the batting-friendly Chinnaswamy ground, it is hoped that the pitch will help him return to his old form.

• 25% chance of rain in Bengaluru

There is a possibility of rain during Sunday's match. According to the Meteorological Department, there is a 25% chance of precipitation. The morning will see sunshine with some clouds. Bengaluru's temperature is expected to range between 21 and 33 degrees Celsius, with wind speeds around 13 km/h.

• Probable Playing-12 for both teams

Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Rajat Patidar (Captain), Jitesh Sharma (Wicketkeeper), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Abhinandan Singh, Jacob Duffy, Suyash Sharma, Devdutt Padikkal, Jacob Bethell.

Chennai Super Kings: Sanju Samson (Wicketkeeper), Ruturaj Gaikwad (Captain), Ayush Mhatre, Sarfaraz Khan, Shivam Dube, Kartik Sharma, Prashant Veer, Noor Ahmad, Anshul Kamboj, Matt Henry, Khaleel Ahmed, Jamie Overton.

Statistics and interesting facts

• Bhuvneshwar appears dominant in his encounters against Samson. The Bengaluru fast bowler has conceded 120 runs to the Chennai opener at a strike rate of 126.31 and an average of 30, dismissing him 4 times.

• However, Samson's opening partner Ruturaj Gaikwad has a very strong record against Bhuvneshwar. The Chennai captain has scored 69 runs off 48 balls against Bhuvneshwar without losing his wicket.

• Since IPL 2025, Chennai has had the lowest run rate (8.70) in the powerplay. Conversely, Bengaluru has the second-best run rate (9.94).

• A score of over 200 has been recorded 35 times in the IPL at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. This is the highest among grounds where more than 15 matches have been played. This includes the highest score in IPL history, 287 (by Hyderabad in 2024).

What they said?

'We are not defending the title; we want to win another one. Like last year, we are still hungry. Many have forgotten that we are champions. This is a new season and we are focusing on one game at a time. But we have the confidence that we have achieved something. We are moving forward with that same confidence.'

– Jitesh Sharma (downplaying the defending champions tag)