IPL 2026 Opener: Steyn’s Signed Jersey, Kohli’s Record Chase Power RCB Past SRH

Bengaluru, 30 March 2026 — Even before the first ball of IPL 2026 was bowled, M Chinnaswamy Stadium witnessed a scene that blurred the line between competition and camaraderie. Sunrisers Hyderabad bowling consultant Dale Steyn, clad in an early-iteration India jersey, approached Royal Challengers Bengaluru superstar Virat Kohli for an autograph. Kohli obliged, scrawling his signature across the fabric and handing it back with a grin. The brief exchange, captured on the broadcast feed, instantly went viral and set an unexpectedly nostalgic tone for the season’s curtain-raiser.

Once play began, Kohli ensured the focus swung back to the present. Chasing 202, the 37-year-old opener finished unbeaten on 69 off 38 balls, becoming the first batter in IPL history to accumulate 4,000 runs while batting second. The knock also nudged him past Pakistan’s Shoaib Malik (13,571 runs) to sixth place on the all-time T20 run charts.

RCB’s pursuit was anything but sedate. After early wickets, Impact Player Devdutt Padikkal detonated 61 from 26 deliveries—seven fours and four sixes—while captain Rajat Patidar muscled 31 off 12. The hosts galloped home in 15.4 overs, sealing a four-wicket victory and the fastest successful chase of a 200-plus target in IPL annals.

Earlier, Sunrisers had slipped to 32 for 3 inside the Power Play before stand-in skipper Ishan Kishan counter-attacked with 80 off 38 balls. Aniket Verma’s 18-ball 43 provided late lift, pushing SRH to 201 for 9. Jacob Duffy and Romario Shepherd claimed three wickets apiece for RCB, but the night ultimately belonged to the men in red and black—and to the signature that started it all.