Virat Kohli and Royal Challengers Bengaluru begin their Indian Premier League (IPL) title defense with muted passion against Ishan Kishan and Sunrisers Hyderabad on Saturday.
Bengaluru’s preparations to launch the latest IPL have been overshadowed since June by the death of 11 fans in a stampede outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium during the team’s victory parade for winning their maiden IPL title.
It took months for Bengaluru to receive permission from state authorities to host IPL matches, and state cricket officials will honor the dead by leaving 11 seats at the ground completely empty.
Bengaluru, three-time finalists, managed to win their first title in 2025 on the back of a bowling attack led by Australian seamer Josh Hazlewood.
Hazlewood, however, has not played since November and is still recovering from hamstring and Achilles problems that forced him to miss the Ashes and Twenty20 World Cup.
In his absence, medium pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar and spinner Krunal Pandya will shoulder the responsibility.
