The IPL 2026 is set to begin on March 28, with defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru taking on Sunrisers Hyderabad at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.Beyond the opener, Virat Kohli Clips of his fluent strokeplay from practice sessions have been doing the rounds on social media and have already taken to the training ground, generating excitement among fans. The former India skipper is coming into the season on the back of three consecutive 600-plus run campaigns and is expected to play a key role in RCB’s title defense once again.In a video shared by the franchise on X, Kohli He was also seen addressing the squad, urging them to keep up the intensity and build on last season’s success.
“We worked really hard over the last two to three seasons to do what we did last year, and it’s only going to be tough because other teams are going to be tough on us,” Kohli said.“We don’t waste these days. We live ahead. So, switch now. Let’s not waste a single minute of every session we are a part of. We must give our 120% for these two and a half months. I can see from everyone’s faces that we are excited enough to be challengers.”RCB entered the new campaign as the reigning champions after winning their first title in 2025, when they beat Punjab Kings by six runs in the final in Ahmedabad.Looking ahead, head coach Andy Flower expressed confidence in the squad assembled at the auction, highlighting both the fresh additions and the core group led by Kohli and the captain. Rajat Patidar.“We had an interesting auction. I think we improved our squad, quite frankly. We made some great new additions. Some established names led by Virat and Rajat, along with integrating those players into RCB, is an exciting part of building a new team,” Flower said.Kohli will also have an important personal milestone in sight. The veteran batsman, who has scored 8,661 runs in 267 IPL matches, including eight centuries and 63 fifties, is close to becoming the first player in the league’s history to cross the 9,000-run mark.
