Virat Kohli

IPL 2026: SRH coach Vettori laments giving chances to Kohli, Devdutt

Sunrisers Hyderabad head coach Daniel Vettori labelled his side's bowling display against Royal Challengers Bengaluru as "poor", conceding they allowed Devdutt Padikkal and Virat Kohli far too many scoring opportunities in the IPL opener here. After raising 201 for 9 in the season-opener on Saturday, the Hyderabad side could not tackle the marauding Padikkal and Kohli, watching RCB romp home in just 15.4 overs. "You have to get a good start (with the ball), which we did against (Phil) Salt, but then I just think we weren't at our best with the ball. We weren't as disciplined as we needed to be, and we gave a lot of scoring opportunities to Virat and Padikkal, who played exceptionally well," Vettori said in the post-match press conference. "We should have been able to maintain a little bit more (discipline) after getting that important wicket of Salt. So, it was a very good batting performance by RCB and one of our poorer bowling performances," he added. Vettori said SRH had observ

IPL 2026: Kohli walks the talk, energy bizarre at this age, says Ashwin

All praise for Virat Kohli, former off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin says the Indian stalwart continues to "walk the talk" with his unmatched energy and intensity despite having retired from Test and T20I formats. Returning to T20 cricket for the first time since last year's IPL final on June 3, Kohli showed no signs of rust, smashing his 28th IPL half-century (69 not out off 38 balls) to power defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru to a commanding six-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 2026 season-opener. "He walks the talk," Ashwin said on a JioHotstar show. "It's almost like he's putting on a show for people to see how the game should be played, play it hard and play it the way it's meant to be played. That stood out for me with respect to what Virat did." Kohli was already in sublime touch coming into the IPL, having scored 93, 23 and 124 in the ODI series against New Zealand in January, where he finished as India's leading run-getter. The 37-year-old had also .

Virat Kohli becomes first batter to cross 4,000 IPL runs in chases

The right-handed batter achieved this historic feat during the IPL 2026 opener between the defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)

IPL 2026: Kohli at top of his game and hungry, says RCB coach Flower

The 18 passing IPL summers have not affected Virat Kohli's "drive and hunger" to touch new heights as a sportsperson, and still remains on top of his game, reckoned Royal Challengers Bengaluru head coach Andy Flower here on Friday. Kohli was RCB's leading run-getter last year, scoring 657 runs when the franchise landed its maiden IPL trophy, and Flower did not see any reason for the master batter not doing an encore. "I've been watching really closely (Kohli batting at nets), he looks on top of his game, he looks super fit. I was watching him do shuttles the other day, he looks light on his feet, very fit, very lean, very hungry," said Flower in the pre-match press conference. "He's always been very hungry and determined and I think that mental and emotional space that he's in, where he's very comfortable with himself as a person, but he's also very hungry to drive himself as a professional sportsperson," he added. However, Kohli will be playing his first tournament since appearing

IPL 2026: All eyes on Bengaluru's Chinnaswamy Stadium as carnival begins

As defending champions RCB host SRH, the focus extends beyond cricket, with the league's 19th edition starting under a sombre backdrop even as it promises two months of high-octane action.

Kohli to Rohit: Top 5 run-scorers in IPL history

Check out the top 5 highest run-scorers in Indian Premier League history! From the consistency of Virat Kohli to the brilliance of Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan.

Top 5 Virat Kohli moments in IPL

Relive the top 5 iconic moments of Virat Kohli in Indian Premier League history! From his fiery on-field clash with Gautam Gambhir to his long-awaited IPL title triumph.

Virat Kohli to Chris Gayle: Top 10 highest run-getters in IPL history

Former Indian skipper Virat Kohli leads the list of highest run scorers in IPL with 8,661 runs, while David Warner, with 6,565 runs, leads the table for overseas batters

IPL 2026: RCB playing 11 probables, players' salary, timings, streaming

Royal Challengers Bengaluru will take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in the tournament opener of IPL 2026 on March 28

IPL 2026: Top 5 most experienced players that will take part this year

Their experience under pressure, leadership skills, and ability to guide younger teammates make them invaluable. Here's a look at the top five oldest players set to feature in IPL 2026.

IPL 2026: Kohli calls on RCB to switch on, avoid wasting any minute

Talismanic batter Virat Kohli on Saturday urged his Royal Challengers Bengaluru teammates to "switch on" themselves and not waste even a minute at the training sessions as they gear up for their IPL title defence. Addressing the squad during their first practice session at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Kohli underlined the need to maintain the intensity that brought them the title last year. "We worked really hard over the last two to three seasons to achieve what we did last year, and it's only going to get tougher because other teams are going to come hard at us," Kohli said. RCB will open their IPL 2026 campaign against Sunrisers Hyderabad on March 28 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. Emphasising urgency from day one, he added, "We don't waste these days. We stay ahead. So, switch on now. Let's not waste even a minute of any session that we are a part of. We must give our 120 per cent for these two and a half months." RCB added Venkatesh Iyer, Mangesh Yadav, Jordan Cox, Vicky Ostwal a

IPL 2026: De Villiers backs RCB's title defence chances with Kohli in mix

South African batting great AB de Villiers believes a "squad of fighters" will relieve the pressure on Virat Kohli, giving defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru the fuel they need to go the distance in IPL 2026. Kohli remains a vital cog in the RCB set-up and they will look to defend their maiden title which they won last season after a long wait of 18 years. "Virat can feel that, he can sense that he is not the only one carrying the load anymore," former RCB batter de Villiers told JioStar. "He has a squad of fighters around him, all gunning to win the trophy. I think they are in a really good place. It's a similar squad, they didn't have to change much, and they have good reason to believe they can go all the way again this coming season," he added. Even as Kohli has had a break since mid January, de Villiers expressed confidence that the Indian superstar would come into the IPL with adequate preparations. "He has the best work ethic I have ever seen in my life. He wil

Five reasons why fans can't wait for the IPL 2026 season to begin

From blockbuster player moves to legendary returns and defending champions looking to prove a point, there is no shortage of reasons for fans to be excited.

Virat Kohli's special message for Team India after T20 World Cup victory

Cricketing icon Virat Kohli, part of the victorious 2024 squad, on Sunday lauded India for winning an unprecedented back-to-back T20 World Cup title, saying there was no match for the explosive cricket played by Suryakumar Yadav and Co. Kohli had announced his retirement from the shortest format after guiding India to a drought ending ICC title in Barbados back in June 2024. "Champions. Phenomenal win for Team India in Ahmedabad. Absolutely no match for the explosive cricket played by us throughout the tournament. Brilliant character shown by the boys to keep fighting in tough situations and become world champions once again. "Congratulations to all the players and all the members of the management for achieving this feat. Jai Hind," wrote Kohli on X. Batting legend Sachin Tendulkar said India were the deserving winners of the trophy. "Winning the World Cup twice in a row, the first time any team has done so in the T20 format. Totally deserving and rightful winners of the trophy.

Virat Kohli will forever be the icon and hero of RCB: Director Mo Bobat

Royal Challengers Bengaluru's director of cricket Mo Bobat expressed his awe at Virat Kohli's "ridiculous" record over 18 years, stating that providing a championship-winning side was the least the think tank could do for the superstar who has given his youth and prime to the IPL team. RCB will enter the upcoming IPL as defending champions, having won their maiden title last season after a long wait of 18 years. Speaking about Kohli's stature within the franchise, Bobat said on RCB Podcast, "Virat Kohli, obviously, I think he'll forever be the icon and the hero of this team. I don't think that's going to go away, and he deserves that. His track record is incredible." "I remember at one point last season seeing his stats when he got to however many runs it was -- close to 9,000 runs -- 18 years wearing just one shirt. That's 500 runs a season. "It's actually ridiculous. For seven years or something like that, some players would be happy with a 500-run season. He averages 500 runs a

Farhan goes past Kohli to set record for most runs in single T20 WC edition

Farhan broke Virat Kohli's record of 319 runs, which he set during the 2014 T20 World Cup

BCCI annual contracts: Kohli, Rohit demoted to Grade B; A+ category removed

Former India skippers Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma downgraded to Grade B in BCCI Annual Central contracts

Dhoni backs Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli for India's 2027 ODI World Cup plans

The former captain was clear that if a player continues to perform and remains fit, there should be no ambiguity over selection, regardless of age

Virat Kohli's Instagram account briefly disappears, returns within hours

The Indian cricket star's Instagram account briefly showed error messages on Friday morning, sparking panic and memes online, before being restored within hours

IND vs NZ: Virat Kohli stands tall for India, hits 85th career hundred

His hundred came in just 91 deliveries which consisted of him switching gears at times to try and stable things for the side.