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The first practice session of IPL 2026 was held for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium and Virat Kohli had a strong message for his team. Mostly addressing his Indian players Kohli made it evident that the team will have it tough this season as they are the defending champions.

RCB turned things around last season. The team had faced severe criticism for not winning a title for many years despite having stars on their team but it finally changed in the 2025 edition. Under Andy Flower, the coach and Mo Bobat, director, the team focused on planning, balancing the team rather than roping in just stars and they emerged winners, winning their first IPL trophy against Punjab Kings at the finals in Ahmedabad.

Kohli addressed his team members and clearly stated that the team has to focus more and have to work harder than before:

Kohli said:

“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. 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 a 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."

His words show that the team is not trying to reach the top any longer, but will have to defend its position and every team will want to defeat the champion team.

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Andy Flower also addressed the players, welcoming new team members, and he believes the team will have a great IPL edition with the new additions to the squad:

In the video, Flower said:

“We had an interesting auction. I think we’ve improved our squad, to be quite frank. We brought in some great new additions. So, integrating those new players into the RCB way with some of the established players, obviously led by Virat and Rajat, is an exciting part of building a new team together."

He added:

"If there is one difference this year, we have actually got a star on our shirts. So that is a very proud feeling to have for all RCBians. One thing that I would emphasise, though, is that the season’s gone and now we have a new challenge ahead of us, and it’s a really exciting challenge. We’re here to win this year’s IPL."

However, Yash Dayal wasn’t a part of the training session as he still remains in the squad, however he faces serious allegations of sexual harassment and physical abuse.

There are various other updates around the league too. Sanju Samson has arrived at CSK, Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer was candid about losing 7 kg while recovering from injury and KKR have also faced some difficulties after a "hot mic" incident involving their mentor Dwayne Bravo.

The IPL 2026 is set to start from March 28 and the opening encounter is between RCB and Sunrisers Hyderabad at Bengaluru. Virat Kohli’s message makes it quite clear, the team is aiming for nothing less than victory this season too.