Anushka Sharma, Ananya Birla, Aryaman Birla during RCB vs SRH match.© X/Twitter
Royal Challengers Bengaluru is making news both on and off the field. It recently became the costliest IPL franchise after a consortium led by the Aditya Birla Group (ABG) for a whopping USD 1.78 billion (approximately Rs 16,706 crore) from its current owner the United Spirits Limited. Then, in the first match of the IPL 2026, RCB thrashed Sunrisers Hyderabad by six wickets, chasing a 202-run target in 15.4 overs. It’s the fastest any team has chased down a 200-plus total in IPL.
Witnessing the win were Ananya Birla and Aryaman Birla, prominent faces in Aditya Birla Group. As RCB completed the record chase, Ananya and Aryaman were on their feet, applauding the win with smile on thier faces.
Ananya Birla and Anushka Sharma on RCB win. pic.twitter.com/AVOyLJwsSB
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) March 28, 2026
Ananya Birla at the Chinnaswamy Stadium wearing RCB jersey. pic.twitter.com/dLWhmgwX4f
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) March 28, 2026
Virat Kohli smashed an unbeaten 38-ball 69 and Devdutt Padikkal a 61 as Royal Challengers Bengaluru defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad by six wickets in the Indian Premier League opener here on Saturday. Asked to bat first, Sunrisers Hyderabad rallied to post 201 for nine as stand-in skipper Ishan Kishan led from the front with a 38-ball 80 after his side was reduced to 29 for three in the fifth over. Ankit Verma chipped in 43 off just 18 balls.
In reply, defending champions RCB completed the chase in 15.4 overs. Devdutt Padikkal (61 off 26 balls), Kohli and Rajat Patidar (31 off 12 balls) were the chief 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 over (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).