Venkatesh Iyer and Virat Kohli. (Photo Credits: RCB/X)
The new season of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 is just a couple of days away and the teams are preparing in full flow. The tournament opener will see defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru locking horns with Sunrisers Hyderabad in Bengaluru on Saturday.
In a new video posted on the official X handle of Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Virat Kohli is seen giving a new name to the franchise’s latest recruit Venkatesh Iyer. Iyer is spotted nailing yorkers and Kohli tells him “Venkateshwar, tu to Allan Donald bana hua hai.”
The Madhya Pradesh all-rounder was a part of Kolkata Knight Riders before moving to Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Iyer has played 62 matches in the IPL for the Knight Riders. The left-handed batter has amassed 1468 runs at a strike-rate of 137.32 including one century and 12 fifties.
RCB mentor and batting coach Dinesh Karthik lauded Virat Kohli after his 19-ball 45 in the practice game. The former RCB player added that Kohli is a kind of player who tries to push the boundaries every time he takes the field.
“Good game today. The class of Virat came through quite nicely up front, played some lovely shots. The greatness about Virat is every year he comes up with a certain plan, a certain intent. He saw how he’s really upped what he wants to do. I feel this year he’ll try and get even better. That tells a lot about the person that he is. He’s always trying to push his boundaries. And also what he brings in terms of energy to the crowd, to the meetings. Those are all big things and that’s a big part of Virat’s personality as well,” Karthik said in a video posted by RCB on social media.
The Royal Challengers Bengaluru will be up against Sunrisers Hyderabad in opening match on Saturday. The Rajat Patidar-side will then host Chennai Super Kings on April 5 before travelling to Guwahati on April 10. RCB will conclude phase one at the Wankhede Stadium on April 12 where they take on Mumbai Indians in an away fixture.
Covering sports for fun. Cricket in whites remains the first love—the kind that teaches patience, rewards nuance, and tells stories over five days rather than five seconds.
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