Overview:
The upcoming IPL season is scheduled to begin on March 28. As reigning champions, RCB will look to defend their title with Kohli leading the charge
India’s star batter Virat Kohli has started gearing up for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season, with videos of the former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) captain training in the nets going viral on social media.
In a recent Instagram clip, the 37-year-old Kohli was captured honing his stroke play in the nets, signalling his readiness for the IPL 2026 season. Supporters reacted energetically, filling the comments with praise and anticipation.
Kohli has scored 8,661 runs in 267 IPL matches, maintaining a batting average of 39.54 and a strike rate of 132.85. Over the years, he has recorded eight centuries and 63 half-centuries, cementing his reputation as one of the league’s finest batters.
In IPL 2025, Kohli was instrumental in RCB’s maiden title win, scoring 657 runs in 15 matches at an average of 54.75. He notched up eight half-centuries and maintained a strike rate of 144.71, helping RCB defeat Punjab Kings by six runs in the final in Ahmedabad.
The upcoming IPL season is scheduled to begin on March 28. As reigning champions, RCB will look to defend their title with Kohli leading the charge.
The M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru will host five matches in IPL 2026, and also the final and one of the playoff games. The team’s other two home fixtures will take place at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium in Raipur, Chhattisgarh.
The iconic venue was suspended from hosting cricket matches since June last year following a tragic stampede during RCB’s 2025 title celebrations, which claimed 11 lives and injured several others. As a result, the stadium missed out on hosting ICC Women’s World Cup and ICC T20 World Cup matches, affecting domestic and state-level tournaments as well.