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Virat Kohli played another match-winning innings for Royal Challengers Bengaluru as the defending champions defeated SRH by 6 wickets in the campaign opener of the Indian Premier League 2026. Chasing 202, RCB reached the target in 15.4 overs, with Kohli amassing an unbeaten 69 runs off 38 balls, laced with 5 boundaries and 5 sixes. He shared over a 100-run partnership with Devdutt Padikkal, who managed 61 runs off 26 deliveries, packed with 7 fours and 4 maximums.

“It was good to get back out there. You mentioned T20 cricket. The last game I played was the final last year, but I think the way I batted in the one-day series recently helped me to stay in that same kind of momentum. I wasn’t playing shots that I don’t usually play, so I knew as long as I had the rhythm and I’ve put enough work physically behind the scenes with my fitness, things should come together nicely, and tonight was another chance to start strong and to build on this,” Virat Kohli said.

He opined on playing just one format in international cricket.

“Well, you know, the kind of scheduling that we’ve had over the last 15 years and the amount of cricket I’ve played, for me, there was always a risk of getting burnt out rather than being undercooked. So these breaks helped me immensely. I stay fresh, I stay excited,” he added.

“Whenever I come back to play, it’s 120%. I’m not coming back, you know, underprepared. In fact, the extra rest helps me to mentally freshen up. And as long as you’re physically fit and you’re excited mentally, all those things come together nicely, and then you’re able to, you know, contribute to the team’s cause, and that’s what you want to do as a player. You don’t want to hold on to a spot. You want to keep performing and, you know, keep putting in the work for the team,” he concluded.