India, March 28 -- Veteran India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has offered a bold take on the IPL 2026 opener between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Sunrisers Hyderabad. With short boundaries and a batting-friendly surface on offer, a run-heavy contest is on the cards, especially with both sides missing key pacers Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins. SRH, meanwhile, boast a formidable batting unit, with Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan leading the charge at the top. The middle order is equally strong, featuring Heinrich Klaasen, Liam Livingstone and Nitish Kumar Reddy, making them a serious threat.

Meanwhile, Ashwin has backed Klaasen to deliver in the IPL 2026 opener, even though the Proteas batter hasn't been at his best of late...