Kamal Ghorui
Virat Kohli once again showed why he is the heartbeat of Royal Challengers Bengaluru, steering his side to a dominant six-wicket victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL 2026 season opener on Saturday. The former India captain hit an unbeaten 38-ball 69 as RCB chased down 202 in just 15.4 overs at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. Reflecting on his performance, Kohli said, “It’s good to get back out there. The last T20 game I played was the final last year, but the way I batted in the recent one-day series really helped me stay in that momentum. I wasn’t playing shots that I don’t usually play… these breaks help me mentally. I stay fresh, I stay excited. Whenever I come back to play, it’s 120%.” The chase was powered by a brilliant 26-ball 61 from impact substitute Devdutt Padikkal. Kohli lauded his young partner’s performance: “Outstanding knock. Right from the word go, I had plans of going aggressive in the powerplay. But when I saw him play, I was like, just keep putting him back on strike. He completely took the game away from the opposition. I even told him, that shot he hit off the slower ball over mid-on for six… just keep going. He’s hitting the ball amazingly well.” Kohli also emphasised the importance of team contribution over individual records: “As a player, you don’t want to just hold on to a spot; you want to keep performing and keep putting in the work for the team.” RCB’s chase was anchored by Kohli and Padikkal’s 101-run stand for the second wicket, after the team lost opener Phil Salt early. Kohli’s innings included five fours and five sixes, with some trademark shots like the straight six that hit the sight screen, and a swat flick executed with minimal movement, demonstrating his mastery of timing and placement. Earlier, SRH had posted 201/9, with stand-in captain Ishan Kishan top-scoring with 80 off 38 balls, including eight fours and five sixes. Jacob Duffy, on IPL debut, impressed with figures of 3/22, dismantling SRH’s top order. Phil Salt also took a stunning one-handed catch in the deep to dismiss Kishan. Kohli, who now plays only 50-over cricket for India after retiring from Tests and T20Is, remains a key figure for RCB. “The kind of scheduling over the last 15 years meant there was always a risk of burnout. These breaks help me mentally… as long as you’re physically fit and mentally excited, both things come together nicely, then you’re able to contribute to the team’s cause,” he added. With this victory, RCB began their IPL 2026 campaign in style, honouring the 11 fans who tragically lost their lives at last year’s title parade with black armbands, empty seats, and a minute’s silence before the game.
