IPL 2026: Virat Kohli Falls to Unknown Bowler in RCB’s Intra-Squad Match; Rajat Patidar, Jitesh Sharma Steal Show With The Bat

Royal Challengers Bengaluru are back to defend their Indian Premier League title in 2026 after winning the 2025 championship. The experienced player Virat Kohli has returned for his 19th season. He was even caught saying some very passionate words to the team in practice before the new season.

We really put in a lot of effort over the last couple of seasons to get to where we did last year, and the competition is only going to become fiercer as other teams will be gunning for us, Kohli said. We don’t waste these days. We stay ahead. So switch on now. Let’s not waste even a minute of the sessions we get to be a part of. We have to give our 120 per cent for these two and a half months.

RCB have updated their team, adding the former Kolkata Knight Riders player Venkatesh Iyer, among others, to their squad, while continuing to count on their championship-winning core members such as Phil Salt and Jacob Bethell.

First Warm-Up Game: Team Krunal vs Team Venky

In the team’s very first warm-up game, an intra-squad match was held with Team Krunal Pandya going head-to-head with Team Venky (Iyer). The clips of the game featured on RCB’s official YouTube channel revealed a thrilling, high-scoring game. Team Venky went on to bat first and made an impressive total of 234/7, with Jitesh Sharma leading the scoring (81 off 37 balls), followed by Tim David (36 off 14), Venkatesh Iyer (30 off 16), and Virat Kohli (29 off 12).

Team Krunal managed to hit the winning runs without breaking a sweat, hitting 247 with Rajat Patidar (74 off 25), Devdutt Padikkal (63 off 33), and Krunal Pandya (58 off 33) leading the charge. Besides the bowlers, Abhinandan Singh, Rasikh Dar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Mangesh Yadav received plaudits. Young spinner Vicky Ostwal was also singled out for praise.

RCB Schedule

Royal Challengers Bengaluru defend their IPL 2026 title with Virat Kohli back. Squad bolstered by Venkatesh Iyer, strong practice match performances, and key players ready for the season starting March 28.

Also Read: PSL 2026 Schedule Revised: 44 Matches, Two Venues, Zero Crowds — Full Details Inside