IPL 2026 will kick off on March 28 when defending champions Royal Challengers Bangalore will take on Sunrisers Hyderabad at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Virat Kohli has arrived at the training ground ahead of the opener and clips of his smooth batting during practice are doing the rounds on social media, sparking excitement among fans. The former India captain enters this season on the back of three consecutive seasons with more than 600 runs and is expected to once again play a key role in RCB’s title defence.
In a video shared by the team on X, Kohli also addressed the team, urging them to maintain their intensity and build on last season’s success.
“We have worked very hard over the last two to three seasons to achieve our goals last year and it will only get tougher because other teams will come down hard on us,” Kohli said.
“We’re not going to waste these days. We’re going to stay ahead. So, start now. Every game we play, don’t waste even a minute. We have to give 120 percent in these two and a half months. I can see it on everyone’s face that we are excited to be a challenger.”
RCB enter the new season as defending champions after winning the title for the first time in 2025, when they defeated Kings XI Punjab by six points in the final in Ahmedabad.
Looking ahead, head coach Andy Flower expressed confidence in the squad assembled at the auction, highlighting the new additions and the core team led by Kohli and captain Rajat Patidar.
“We had an interesting auction. Frankly, I think we have improved our squad. We have brought in some great new signings. Integrating these players into the RCB way, along with some established players under Virat and Rajat, is an exciting part of building a new team together,” Flower said.
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Kohli will also celebrate a major personal milestone. The veteran batsman has amassed 8,661 runs in 267 IPL games, including 8 centuries and 63 half-centuries, and is on the verge of becoming the first player in the history of the league to cross the 9,000-run mark.
