IPL 2026: No rust despite rest as Kohli does Kohli things

BENGALURU: Since anchoring Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s maiden IPL title run last season, Virat Kohli has stayed in imperious form. Across nine ODIs and two Vijay Hazare Trophy matches, he has piled up 821 runs, with his lowest score since returning from Australia’s back-toback ducks being 23 against New Zealand in Rajkot.

In an era of relentless scheduling, Kohli has largely operated as a one-format (ODI) international. Yet on Saturday night, returning to T20 cricket at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium for the first time since last season’s final, there was no trace of rust.




The 37-year-old looked in complete rhythm, carrying forward the touch from his last outing — a composed 124 against New Zealand in January — as his unbeaten 69 off 38 balls guided RCB to a six-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad. It was a knock built on controlled aggression, beginning with a crisp boundary off Jaydev Unadkat through mid-off and progressing through calculated acceleration.

At the post-match press conference, skipper Rajat Patidar called him the “number one chase master.”

Kohli credited his recent ODI run and preparation for the smooth transition.



“The way I batted in the One-Day series recently helped me stay in that momentum. I’ve put enough work physically behind the scenes with my fitness. As long as I had rhythm, things would come together nicely,” said Kohli, RCB’s top scorer last season with 657 runs.

He also highlighted the importance of breaks in a packed calendar.

“With the amount of cricket I’ve played over the last 15 years, there was always a risk of burnout rather than being undercooked. These breaks help me stay fresh and excited. Whenever I come back, it’s 120%,” the opener said.

Fitness remains the foundation

“As long as you’re physically fit and mentally excited, things fall into place, and you can contribute to the team.”

Despite his stature, Kohli stressed that places must be earned.

“You don’t want to hold on to a spot. You want to keep performing and keep putting in the work for the team,” he said, after being dropped on 29 by Heinrich Klaasen off Harshal Patel.
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