Why IPL 2026 could unleash Virat Kohli’s most dangerous version yet

New Delhi: Virat Kohli is the highest run-scorer in IPL history, and his consistency over the years has firmly established him as one of the greatest the tournament has ever witnessed. After years of near misses, Kohli finally fulfilled his long-standing dream of lifting the IPL trophy in 2025 with Royal Challengers Bengaluru, ending an 18-year wait.

Kohli had already won major ICC titles, ICC U19 World Cup, ICC Cricket World Cup, ICC T20 World Cup, and ICC Champions Trophy, and he completed his trophy cabinet with the IPL title last year. Now, heading into IPL 2026, he enters the season with a rare sense of freedom.

He may not have anything left to prove as a batter or to the RCB fans. But now, unburdened by the pressure of expectations, he can simply go out and play his natural game, just as he has done in the past. In 2021, when Kohli relinquished his RCB captaincy, he had said on RCB's podcast diaries.




"I captained India for 7–8 years and RCB for nine. There were expectations of me as a batter every single game. I never felt the attention was off me. If not captaincy, it was my batting. I was exposed to it 24x7. It got very tough and too much in the end."

Clearly, his thought process then was not of someone who had resigned to his fate, but of someone still yearning to bring that trophy home for his franchise, albeit not as a skipper. Interestingly, since the 2021 campaign, Kohli has been a different beast, scoring 341 (2022), 639 (2023), 741 (2024), and 657 (2025) in the subsequent four seasons.

Kohli was out of form during the COVID-19 pandemic era, where he struggled for runs, but he still managed to take his team to the playoffs back-to-back in 2020 and 2021. After he left the captaincy, he gained the mental freedom to simply come out, bat, and express himself.

Kohli has time and again admitted how much it means for him to win the title, and having the IPL trophy in his cabinet is the reason why he might be the most dangerous version of himself this edition.

"Given the history of the near misses and the almost moments of the past where we reached the finals and we could not win, I think that gave us extra motivation to hold our nerves. Because the league has become so much more competitive, we must have played really good cricket to get to the finals. It's not a fluke, it's not by chance. We have beaten some really good teams, and we are an amazing team who have earned the right to be here on this day," Virat had said during a recent video shared by RCB, reflecting on their title-winning campaign.

Kohli’s best IPL season came in 2016, when he established himself as one of the most dangerous batters in IPL history. He finished the season with a record-breaking 973 runs in 16 innings, including four centuries. That year belonged to Kohli, as he dominated bowlers across all venues. Notably, Kohli has won two Orange Caps, 2016 (973 runs) and 2024 (741 runs).

After winning the trophy in 2025, when Kohli returned to the international setup against South Africa, he scored two back-to-back ODI centuries. This signaled to fans that his era of dominance had returned. In December, his former teammate Ravichandran Ashwin also warned IPL teams about Kohli's form, which could be trouble for other franchises:

"I just feel that all the teams should be really concerned if Virat comes with an open mindset," Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.

Kohli as RCB Captain

Kohli took over as the full-time captain of RCB in 2013 after Daniel Vettori retired, even though he had already led the team as an interim captain several times in 2011 and 2012 when Vettori was unavailable. Kohli led RCB in 143 matches, securing 66 wins, 70 losses, 3 ties, and 4 no results. His most notable captaincy achievement came in IPL 2016, when he led RCB to the final, although they lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad.

After leaving the captaincy in 2021, he created a different impact in the team, taking on the role of anchoring the innings as an experienced batter, a role he has fulfilled over the past 4-5 seasons. Now, with the title to his name, IPL 2026 could see a different Kohli, still hungry, but playing with a freedom unburdened by the pressure of expectations.