3 min readMar 21, 2026 04:02 PM IST
As defending champion Royal Challengers Bengaluru gear up for their title defence in the Indian Premier League 2026, the biggest icon and talisman of RCB and Indian cricket, Virat Kohli, gave the new squad a pep talk ahead of the first day of their practice session at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
Kohli said the players need to be switched on mentally and need to give their 120% as the challenge for the side is only going to get tougher now that they have won the title.
“We worked really hard over the last 2 to 3 seasons to achieve what we did last year. It’s only going to get tougher because 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 any session that we are part of. We must give our 120% for these two and a half months,” said Kohli in a video released by RCB on social media.
“I can see from everyone’s face that we are excited enough for the challenge,” he added.
WATCH: Virat Kohli’s pep talk to RCB
RCB head coach Andy Flower welcomed the new players to the team and gave a special shout-out to Vihaan Malhotra and Kanishk Chouhan for winning the U-19 World Cup for India. He said, “Firstly welcome to everyone. It’s really special to see new faces in our group. Venky (Venkatesh Iyer), Mangesh (Yadav), Coxy (Jordan Cox), Kanishk, Vihaan, Vicky Ostwal and Satvik (Deswal), great to have all of you here. A special mention to Kanishk and Vihaan for winning the U-19 World Cup… that was a great effort.”
Since the stampede outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium, the venue hasn’t hosted any mainstream cricket. Coach Flower said it’s a good opportunity to be welcomed by fans while also praising the lush green outfield of the venue.
“Our first two games are here at Chinnaswamy, it’s an amazing opportunity to come here and to be welcomed by our fans,” he said.
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“Chinnaswamy has not had any cricket here since the end of the last IPL, so the outfield is looking superb, it’s beautiful, the grass is lush and green and lovely,” added Flower.
The former Zimbabwe captain was also excited to see guys like Kohli and Bhuvneshwar Kumar go about their business in the practice session. He said, “From a professional point of view, it’s brilliant watching practitioners go about their work. Some real masters of the art – guys like Virat, guys like Bhuvi (Bhuvneshwar Kumar). They are really beautiful masters to watch practice.”
