Batting juggernaut Virat Kohli has officially begun his preparations for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season, hitting the practice nets at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium for Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s (RCB) first training session. The high-intensity workout featured a notable showdown between the legendary batter and veteran pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who joined the RCB camp after a successful stint last season. A viral video from the session captured a particularly lethal yorker from Bhuvneshwar that nearly cleaned up Kohli, highlighting the competitive energy within the squad as they prepare for their title defense.
Virat Kohli leaves clueless by Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s lethal yorker
The franchise enters this season with a newfound status as defending champions, having finally secured their maiden IPL trophy in 2025. Under the calm leadership of Rajat Patidar, who remains at the helm for the 2026 campaign, RCB ended a nearly two-decade-long wait for silverware by defeating Punjab Kings in last year's final. With the men's team now aiming to replicate the success of the RCB women's team, the atmosphere in Bengaluru is one of immense expectation and "Play Bold" spirit.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru is scheduled to kick off the 19th edition of the IPL in the season opener on Saturday, March 28. They will host Sunrisers Hyderabad in front of a home crowd at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, a venue where they will play five of their home matches this year. As the reigning kings of the league, the team will look to leverage their experienced core, including Kohli, Bhuvneshwar, and Devdutt Padikkal, to start their journey toward a potential back-to-back championship.
Watch the video here:
RCB will be pinning their hopes on Bhuvneshwar Kumar to deliver his trademark lethal yorkers during the death overs of IPL 2026. Since joining the franchise ahead of the 2025 season, the right-arm pacer has proven to be a vital asset, claiming 17 wickets across 14 matches. While his economy rate stood at 9.29, his average of 28.41 highlights his knack for breaking partnerships at crucial junctures, a role he will look to refine as RCB defends its title.
All eyes on Virat Kohli
Despite concerns regarding his match practice in the shortest format, given that he currently only represents India in ODI cricket, Virat Kohli arrives at the tournament in exceptional form. The 37-year-old has recently dominated on the international stage, amassing 302 runs against South Africa and another 240 against New Zealand. With three centuries across those six matches and a significantly modernized, aggressive strike rate, Kohli has silenced doubters by proving his ability to adapt his legendary technical game to the high-tempo demands of the modern era.
Kohli’s importance to the Bengaluru franchise cannot be overstated, especially following his instrumental role in their historic IPL 2025 championship win. As the team's leading run-scorer last season, he racked up 657 runs with a strike rate of 144.71, providing the explosive starts and steady anchoring that the lineup required. This consistency is the hallmark of a career that has seen him accumulate 8,661 runs since the league's inception in 2008, including a record eight centuries and 63 fifties.
As IPL 2026 approaches, the veteran opener stands on the precipice of two historic milestones: becoming the first player to reach 9,000 career IPL runs and the first to score 10,000 T20 runs for a single franchise.