WATCH: Virat Kohli tonks massive sixes, Jitesh Sharma blasts 81 in RCB nets ahead of IPL 2026 opener vs SRH

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) had an energetic start to their preparations for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, with several players looking in great touch during a practice match at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on March 22.

Top players like Virat Kohli, Jitesh Sharma, Tim David and Venkatesh Iyer all performed well in the friendly game. The squad was divided into two teams, led by Krunal Pandya and Venkatesh Iyer, giving everyone a good chance to spend time in the middle before the season begins.

RCB, who are the defending champions, will kick off the IPL 2026 season against Sunrisers Hyderabad on March 28. RCB has already started their preparations in Bengaluru with full focus.

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WATCH: RCB's hard hitting

The franchise also shared a video from the practice session on social media, showing some of the highlights of the clash. After the game, Krunal Pandya said it was a useful session and praised both the bowlers and batters for their performances. He highlighted that several players looked in good form, especially with the bat.

"It was a good practice game. Everyone had a good hit. Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowled really well, Abhinandan (Singh) bowled really well, Mangesh (Yadav) bowled really well. Among the batters, Jitesh played really well — some of his shots were amazing. Tim David played really well. Venkatesh and Virat batted well. The intent shown and some of the shots from Virat were amazing today. He is looking good, which is a great sign for us," Krunal Pandya said.

Jitesh Sharma smashed 81 off 37

Among all the players, Jitesh Sharma stood out the most. He played an impressive innings, scoring 81 runs off just 37 balls. Along with him, Tim David scored a quick 36 off 14 balls, while Venkatesh Iyer added 30 runs from just 16 deliveries.

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Krunal also spoke about Virat Kohli’s batting, saying he looked in great rhythm. Kohli scored a quick 29 off 12 balls and played some strong shots.