The Royal Challengers Bengaluru players wore No. 11 jerseys during their warm-up before their first IPL 2026 match against Sunrisers Hyderabad at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday, March 28. They did this to pay tribute to the 11 individuals who sadly lost their lives in a stampede outside the stadium last yr.
This tragic incident had created a number of controversy. After several months of talks with authorities, the Karnataka State Cricket Association was allowed to maintain Chinnaswamy Stadium because the venue for five of RCB’s seven home matches. The opposite two home games will probably be played at Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur.
Former RCB CEO Rajesh Menon also shared that 11 everlasting seats will probably be reserved in memory of the fans.
“In memory of the 11 fans who we lost on June 4th. The players will probably be wearing jersey number 11 for the practice on the sport day, on the practice time before the match. All of the players can have jersey No.11 on their back; not for the sport, but for the practice.
“Aside from that, they (players) will even be wearing black armbands on that day. We’re also taking a look at having 11 everlasting seats in Chinnaswamy Stadium perpetually. That is for the 11 fans who will probably be with us perpetually,” he added.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru have introduced a brand new jersey this season. It is available in red, navy blue, and gold colours, and has a contemporary polo-style collar with a zipper.
RCB Elect to Field First vs SRH in IPL 2026 Opener
Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain Rajat Patidar won the toss and decided to bowl first against Sunrisers Hyderabad of their opening match of IPL 2026. Explaining his decision, he said (via ESPNcricinfo):
“We’ll bowl first. It’s a season opener, so let’s see how the wicket behaves.”
Josh Hazlewood is just not available for Royal Challengers Bengaluru of their first match. Meanwhile, Pat Cummins, the regular captain of Sunrisers Hyderabad, is anticipated to miss the primary half of the season on account of injury. Ishan Kishan will lead the team in the primary few matches.
Get the most recent cricket news here, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more such updates.