Virat Kohli once again proved why many consider him one of the best chasers in cricket, leading Royal Challengers Bengaluru to a comfortable six-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL 2026 opener at M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday.
Kohli successfully guided the innings while remaining not out at 69 runs from 38 deliveries as his team pursued a difficult target of 202 runs. His knock included five fours and five sixes, helping RCB reach the target easily in just 15.4 overs and start their title defence in dominant style.
A light moment followed at the end of the chase. After finishing the game, Kohli blew a flying kiss to Anushka Sharma, who sat in the stands. The crowd loved the gesture, making it a special night in Bengaluru.
Kohli maintained his excellent batting performance because he showed no signs of needing rest after his break from Test and ODI matches. He constructed the innings through intelligent run distribution until he was ready to dominate the match, which demonstrated his expert ability to chase down runs.
Devdutt Padikkal gave him powerful assistance because he scored 61 runs from 26 balls. Padikkal's aggressive batting enabled RCB to exceed the required run rate, while captain Rajat Patidar scored 31 runs from 12 balls to keep the team's momentum going.
SRH completed their innings at 201 for nine after they overcame their initial difficulties but their total proved insufficient against RCB's strong batting performance.
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The season opener attracted more excitement because Smriti Mandhana, Shreyanka Patil, and Jemimah Rodrigues attended the event as spectators. The RCB bowling attack established their dominance when Jacob Duffy made his first appearance and achieved bowling figures of 3 for 22 during his four-over spell.
Kohli achieved his signature closing style through his composed performance which enabled RCB to start their IPL 2026 season successfully.