Assistant Coach of Kolkata Knight Riders Shane Watson Admittedly expecting a mistake from his side. Virat Kohli When KKR take on Royal Challengers Bengaluru in a crucial IPL 2026 clash on Wednesday.Kohli Once again among RCB’s standout performers this season, he scored 379 runs in 11 matches at an average of 42.11 and a strike rate of 163.36. However, the veteran batsman enters the competition after suffering back-to-back ducks against Lucknow Supergiants and Mumbai Indians.
Despite these setbacks, Watson made it clear that KKR are fully aware of the threat posed by Kohli, especially given their recent record against them. The RCB star has scored three half-centuries in his last four games against Kolkata and is one of the biggest hurdles in KKR’s way.“Every team always has plans against Virat where you think he has a weakness, but we all know, with King Kohli, he knows how best to try and navigate it as much as possible,” Watson said during the pre-match press conference.Watson cited Kohli’s dismissal against Mumbai Indians, where the batsman charged Deepak Chahar early in his innings and mistimed a high shot at mid-off.“Yeah, we just hope he tries to play a shot like he did in the last game, a more aggressive shot at the start of his innings. We’ve got our fingers crossed that it might happen. The chances of that happening are very remote, knowing Virat,” he added with a smile.The former Australian all-rounder then praised Kohli’s relentless hunger and intensity.“But look, he’s something else, he’s always been…… His insatiable appetite is just very, very, very good, every ball is engaged in the game that shines so brightly for him. So we know we have to be right from the first ball with Virat. Otherwise, he just sets up a platform and an immediate platform so wonderfully for his team, and he’s had more over the years. So we’ve got our fingers crossed that we can get off to a really good start and hope that maybe he makes a rare mistake and gets us into the game a little bit,” Watson said.The upcoming match is crucial for KKR’s playoff hopes. Kolkata are currently sitting on nine points from 10 games and cannot afford another slip-up in the tight race for the points table.Interestingly, KKR have made a remarkable turnaround after enduring a disastrous start to their campaign. The team failed to register a single win in their opening six matches but have since bounced back strongly with four straight victories to keep their qualification hopes alive for the clash against RCB.
