After having struggled with an injury concern in the last game against the Mumbai Indians, Virat Kohli, the veteran RCB batter, did not take the field during the second innings. This had caused several narratives to be built around his probable availability in the IPL.
The Mumbai Indians vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru game just didn’t feel right for the veteran Indian batters as both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli struggled with injuries. Virat, however, continued his batting streak, though he missed out on scoring runs quickly enough.
On the contrary, the Mumbai Indians’ former skipper, Rohit Sharma, had to leave the field after having gotten a good start, and that was due to the massive issue with his footwork following a hamstring injury, which has now pushed him to undergo scans, before his availability could be confirmed.
Virat Kohli hits the nets at Chinnaswamy ahead of the next game against LSG
The Royal Challengers Bengaluru made a promising start to the season after having won the first two matches of the competition. They then faced a massive defeat to the Rajasthan Royals, as for the first time, they stepped out of Chinnaswamy.
Kohli played a fine knock at the Wankhede Stadium, where he scored a second half-century in the season; however, his strike rate was largely reduced. Kohli’s strike rate this season has been stupendous at RCB’s home ground in the Chinnaswamy.
After the freak injury that kept him benched during the second innings of the chase at the Wankhede Stadium, Virat Kohli was spotted back in the RCB nets ahead of their upcoming clash against the Lucknow Super Giants with his left leg strapped.
Bengaluru, T-1 day to see him back in his Kingdom. 🙌#PlayBold #ನಮ್ಮRCB #IPL2026 pic.twitter.com/j8XZOaa0mI
— Royal Challengers Bengaluru (@RCBTweets) April 14, 2026
Virat Kohli’s IPL form in 2026
Virat Kohli has once again excelled in the IPL, playing in his 19th edition in the Indian Premier League. The right-handed batter has played with wonderful precision, scoring runs at a stunning strike rate.
Kohli has amassed 179 runs across 4 matches in the IPL, as he has averaged 59.67 in this season so far after having scored two half-centuries. He has batted with a handsome strike rate of 162.73, except for the last game against the Mumbai Indians.
Kohli is currently in sixth position on the IPL Orange Cap leaderboard. He can, however, go past the likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Ishan Kishan or even the RCB skipper Rajat Patidar in the upcoming game against LSG.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s powerful batting unit has fired in 2026
The Royal Challengers have made several significant contributions to the growing stardom in the IPL since the last season. Virat Kohli and Rajat Patidar have made the most significant contributions to their batting unit. The skipper has been striking the ball at a strike rate of 214.29.
On the other hand, opener Phil Salt has also not backed away from scoring runs, slowly regaining some stunning form. Devdutt Padikkal has been another name that has contributed significantly to the scoreboard.
Lastly, Tim David has also been at his destructive best. The finest of his innings came in the last two matches against the Chennai Super Kings and the Mumbai Indians. He has scored runs whenever they needed him to fire.
