Bengaluru, Mar 29:
A commanding unbeaten knock from Virat Kohli and a blazing half-century by Devdutt Padikkal powered Royal Challengers Bengaluru to a convincing six-wicket victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad in the opening match of the Indian Premier League on Saturday.
Chasing a formidable target of 202, RCB made light work of the total, reaching 201 for four in just 15.4 overs. Padikkal set the tone early with a scintillating 61 off just 26 balls, while Kohli anchored the innings with a composed unbeaten 69 off 38 deliveries. Rajat Patidar added further impetus with a quickfire 31 off 12 balls as the defending champions cruised to victory.
Earlier, opting to bat first, Hyderabad found themselves in early trouble at 29 for three inside five overs. However, stand-in skipper Ishan Kishan led a spirited recovery with a blistering 80 off 38 balls. He was well supported by Ankit Verma, who struck a rapid 43 off 18 deliveries to propel SRH to a competitive 201 for nine.
For RCB, debutant Jacob Duffy impressed with the ball, returning excellent figures of 3 for 22 in his four overs.