Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru: On May 22, at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, the stakes for the encounter between Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the IPL 2026 were high. Despite the SRH team being elated after a monstrous 55-run win, the post-match interaction between Indian cricket’s living legend, Virat Kohli, and Australian SRH opening batter Travis Head sparked an instant social media sensation. Naturally, it looked like one of India’s greatest batters had completely brushed aside his counterpart from the Orange Army in the customary handshake after the match. Kohli then walked past a handshake offered by Head, showing a lack of sportsmanship.
SRH vs RCB: Virat Kohli vs Travis Head: How did the altercation unfold?
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Virat Kohli was the centre of all the attention on Friday. Apart from his batting, he engaged in an argument with Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Travis Head on the field. Tensions escalated as the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Hyderabad were set a target to chase down 256 runs in the match against SRH. Head just nodded while Kohli gave a piece of his mind to the Australian. Kohli had just hit 2 more boundaries when the altercation occurred. However, the mystery as to how it all started remained unsolved.
SRH vs RCB: Why did Virat Kohli not shake hands with Travis Head?
The tension had been growing throughout the evening, so the post-match snub wasn’t an isolated incident. When Rasikh Salam Dar dismissed Head for 26 during the first innings, Kohli unleashed an incredibly animated celebration. The intense chase of 256 by RCB was the height of the verbal altercation. Head and Kohli were seen arguing angrily and even making violent gestures and challenged the Australian batter to enter the attack and try his luck with the ball. Later in the innings, in a dramatic turn of events, Head came on to bowl and quickly took the huge wicket of Rajat Patidar, the captain of the RCB, who scored 56 off 39 deliveries.
SRH vs RCB: Royal Challengers Bengaluru to play Qualifier 1
In spite of their 55-run defeat to the Sunrisers Hyderabad, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru finished the IPL 2026 league stage at the top of the points table. The defending champions will now face Shubman Gill’s Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 1 at the HPCA Stadium, Dharamshala. The winner of Qualifier 1 will make it to the final, while the loser will play the winner of Eliminator. Meanwhile, Sunrisers Hyderabad finished third on the points table and will play the Eliminator. SRH’s opponent will be decided based on the result of the final three games. The Orange Army will either of Punjab Kings, Rajasthan Royals, or Kolkata Knight Riders.
Pragun is a passionate cricket follower and writer who deeply loves the game. Having completed his education with a degree in Journalism and Mass Communication, he has an experience of almost two years in diverse fields. He is known for his statistical and analytical articles. Pragun tries to bring life to his articles by adding a layer of enthusiasm from the perspective of a hardcore fan. Apart from writing cricket articles, he sometimes appears on YouTube videos on a friend’s podcast.
