Indian star batter Virat Kohli is ready for a fresh challenge as Royal Challengers Bengaluru prepare for the IPL 2026 season. The team will enter the tournament as defending champions for the first time.
RCB won their maiden IPL title in 2025. They defeated Punjab Kings by six runs in a thrilling final in Ahmedabad. It was a historic moment for the franchise and its fans.
Kohli played a key role last season. He scored 657 runs in 15 matches. It was his third straight season with more than 600 runs. The veteran batter will aim to continue his strong form this year.
Virat Kohli urges RCB team to stay sharp in IPL 2026
Speaking in a video shared by RCB, Virat Kohli stressed the need to stay focused.
“We worked really hard over the last two to three seasons to achieve what we did last year, and it’s only going to get tougher because the other teams are going to come hard at us,” Kohli said.
“We don’t waste these days. We stay ahead. So, switch on now. Let’s not waste even a minute of every session we are part of. We must give our 120% for these two and a half months. I can see from everyone’s faces that we are excited enough to be challengers,” he added.
Head coach Andy Flower also shared his thoughts. He praised the team’s work during the auction. RCB added all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer and strengthened their squad.
“We had an interesting auction. I think we’ve improved our squad, to be quite frank. We brought in some great new additions. Integrating those players into the RCB way, alongside some of the established names led by Virat and Rajat, is an exciting part of building a new team together,” Flower said.
RCB will begin their campaign against Sunrisers Hyderabad on March 28 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. Fans will expect another strong season from the champions.
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