Bengaluru, March 28 Virat Kohli smashed an unbeaten 69 off 38 balls and Devdutt Padikkal scored 61 as Royal Challengers Bengaluru defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad by six wickets in the opening match of the Indian Premier League here on Saturday.
Asked to bat first, Sunrisers Hyderabad rallied to post 201 for nine, with stand-in skipper Ishan Kishan leading the way with an unbeaten 80 off 38 balls after his team had been reduced to 29 for three in the fifth over. Ankit Verma contributed 43 off just 18 balls.
In reply, defending champions RCB completed the chase in 15.4 overs. Devdutt Padikkal (61 off 26 balls), Virat Kohli (69 not out), and Rajat Patidar (31 off 12 balls) were the main contributors with the bat for RCB.
Debutant Jacob Duffy was the best bowler for RCB, returning excellent figures of 3/22 in four overs.
Brief scores:
Sunrisers Hyderabad: 201/9 in 20 overs (Ishan Kishan 80, Ankit Verma 43; Jacob Duffy 3/22).
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: 203/4 in 15.4 overs (Devdutt Padikkal 61, Virat Kohli 69 not out).
