Jitesh Sharma, Virat Kohli and Tim David were among the best performers for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in their intra-squad match ahead of IPL 2026.
RCB, the defending champions, will get their IPL 2026 campaign underway with a home match against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday (28 March).
The match was contested between two teams, one led by Krunal Pandya and the other led by Venkatesh Iyer. Venkatesh Iyer's team batted first and posted a mammoth total of 234/7.
Jitesh Sharma impresses in practice match
Jitesh Sharma, playing for Iyer's team, was the most impressive batter in the match, as he slammed 81 runs from just 37 balls. Australia's Tim David slammed 36 runs from 14 matches whereas Venkatesh Iyer, who was acquired for ₹7 crore, slammed 30 runs from 16 balls.
Virat Kohli, also playing for Venkatesh Iyer's team, scored 29 runs from 12 balls, hitting three big sixes.
In reply, Krunal Pandya's team posted 247 on the board in their 20 overs, with Rajat Patidar (74 runs from 25 balls), Devdutt Padikkal (63 runs from 33 balls) and Krunal Pandya (58 runs from 33 balls) all playing entertaining knocks. Krunal Pandya reflected on the teams' performances, and was impressed by pacers Abhinandan Singh and Mangesh Yadav.
"It was a good practice game. Everyone had a good hit. Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowled really well, Abhinandan (Singh) bowled really well, Mangesh (Yadav) bowled really well. Among the batters, Jitesh played really well — some of his shots were amazing," he said.
"Tim David played really well. Venkatesh and Virat batted well. The intent shown and some of the shots from Virat were amazing today. He is looking good, which is a great sign for us," the all-rounder added.
After their opening match against SRH, RCB will then host Chennai Super Kings (CSK) on 5 April, before travelling to Guwahati to face Rajasthan Royals (RR) on 10 April.
Two days later, the Rajat Patidar-led side will take on Mumbai Indians at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium. The IPL Governing Council has announced the schedule for just the first 20 matches.
They are announcing the schedule in phases keeping the upcoming assembly elections in mind. The assembly elections will take place in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam and Kerala.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru had beaten Punjab Kings (PBKS) by six runs in the final of IPL 2025 in Ahmedabad to clinch their maiden title.
