IPL 2026: The countdown to the 19th edition of Indian Premier League (IPL) is officially on, and the excitement level at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium is nearly at a breaking point. Being the current champions, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) are ready to open the season with Sunrisers Hyderabad as their visitors on March 28. However, the main attraction has been the battle between two giants of the same team: Virat Kohli vs. Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
Several viral videos of RCB’s practice sessions have made social media explode with reactions. One of the videos featured Bhuvneshwar Kumarwho was the franchise player before the 2025 title-winning season, doing his signature toe-crushing yorker which left Kohli totally clueless. The ball just missed the stumps from the off side! The “deadly swing” and accuracy of the pacer pressed the fans and experts to debate whether the legend of the present times still has a flaw against the wicket-taking and late-moving deliveries.
This yorker from Bhuvneshwar Kumar completely beat Virat Kohli.🫡
In the last two years, Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s name has gone a bit down, but maybe in this IPL he will definitely do something special.🙌 pic.twitter.com/L0bF9BsR0Z
— 𝐑𝐮𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐢𝐢⁴⁵ (@rushiii_12) March 19, 2026
The Duel: Yorker vs. Six
However, the battle was not dominated by one party forever. Another clip was released which revealed Kohli’s supreme ability to change his tactics. Despite falling prey to the yorker, the 37-year-old didn’t waste time in unleashing his “King” mode, walking down the pitch to hit Bhuvneshwar for an enormous six straight over the boundary ropes.
The King is back in his Kingdom !!👑 pic.twitter.com/CGScoGmKuK
— Virat Kohli Fan Club (@Trend_VKohli) March 19, 2026
While the “weakness” discussion hasn’t died down on X(formerly Twitter), Kohli’s recent international outings indicate that he’s far from being a slow player. Even though he gave up playing Tests and T20Is, Kohli has been a beast on the ODI stage, scoring 302 runs against South Africa and 240 against New Zealand.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar is the master of yorkers the way he has beaten Virat Kohli looks like this season is going to be a 🔥 for him.
— Krishna Kumar 🇮🇳 (@krishna89699799) March 19, 2026
Kohli had bhuvi in nets last year he could have easily worked on his weakness in test 😭😭
— Tushar (@Tushar_96k) March 19, 2026
Having hit three centuries in his last six innings along with a largely improved strike rate, Kohli seems ready to be the batting leader for the reigning champions.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar can be a pivotal figure for RCB’s title defense. Ever since he started playing for the Red and Gold, the swing bowler has transformed himself into a death-over finisher. He has taken 17 wickets in the 14 matches that he has played for the franchise. Though his economy rate of 9. 29, his average of 28. 41 exhibits his ability to strike at important moments.
Hoping for Back-to-Back Triumphs
Thanks to Rajat Patidar’s inspiring captaincy, RCB have finally as a team ended their 18-year wait for a trophy last season by defeating Punjab Kings. Now, the aspiration is to replicate the consistency of the RCB women’s side by winning a second successive title.
Besides the five home games which are going to be played at Chinnaswamy, the team will depend heavily on the experienced trio of Kohli, Bhuvneshwar, and Devdutt Padikkal. Based on the intra-squad battles, the defending champions are certainly not dismissing their “winner” tag lightly.
