The opening match of IPL 2026 will feature Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) facing off against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. Let’s take a look at the opening matches from the previous 18 seasons.

In IPL 2008, the inaugural match was played between Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), with KKR winning by 140 runs. The first match of IPL 2009 saw Mumbai Indians (MI) take on Chennai Super Kings (CSK), where Mumbai emerged victorious by 19 runs.

The opening game of IPL 2010 was contested between KKR and Deccan Chargers, with KKR winning by 11 runs. In IPL 2011, the first match featured CSK against KKR, with CSK winning by just 2 runs. The 2012 season kicked off with CSK facing MI, where MI won by 8 wickets.

For IPL 2013, the first match was between Delhi Capitals (DC) and KKR, with KKR winning by 6 wickets. IPL 2014’s opening game saw KKR against MI, with KKR winning by 41 runs.

In IPL 2015, MI played against KKR, and KKR won by 7 wickets. The first match of IPL 2016 was between MI and Rising Pune Supergiants, with Pune winning by 9 wickets. In IPL 2017, SRH faced RCB, and SRH won by 35 runs.

The opening match of IPL 2018 was between MI and CSK, where CSK triumphed by 1 wicket. IPL 2019 began with RCB against CSK, with CSK winning by 7 wickets.

In IPL 2020, MI played against CSK, and CSK won by 5 wickets. The first match of IPL 2021 was contested between MI and RCB, with RCB winning by 2 wickets. IPL 2022’s opening match featured CSK and KKR, where KKR won by 6 wickets.

The first match of IPL 2023 was between CSK and Gujarat Titans (GT), with Gujarat winning by 5 wickets. In IPL 2024, RCB faced CSK, and CSK won by 6 wickets. Finally, IPL 2025’s opening match was between KKR and RCB, with RCB winning by 7 wickets.