Virat Kohli, even at 37, remains one of the hardest-working players in contemporary cricket. His quest for excellence is a well-documented fact that is already a part of cricketing folklore.
Kohli wants his Royal Challengers Bengaluru teammates to walk the same path.
As the team prepares for IPL 2026, Kohli has urged all RCB players to “switch on” and not waste even a minute at the training sessions as they try to defend the title they won last year.
Addressing the squad during their first practice session at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, 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 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 a part of. We must give our 120 per cent for these two and a half months,” the former captain said.
RCB will open their IPL 2026 campaign against Sunrisers Hyderabad on March 28 at their home ground.
RCB head coach Andy Flower is happy with the squad he has at his disposal this year. “We had an interesting auction and I think we’ve improved our squad, to be quite frank. We’ve brought in some great new additions. Integrating them into the RCB way alongside established players led by Virat and Rajat (Patidar) is an exciting part of building this team,” Flower said.
After years of toil, RCB managed to lift the IPL trophy for the first time last season. That changes a lot of things, Flower observed.
“There is one difference this year, we’ve got a star on our shirt. That’s a very proud feeling for all RCB fans. But that season is gone. Now we have a new challenge ahead, and it’s an exciting one. We’re here to win this year’s IPL,” he said.
The atmosphere within the team is positive, as relayed by keeper-batter Jitesh Sharma.
“Everyone was very excited to meet each other. I was excited to get more batting time. I got a chance to meet all the coaches and train again,” he said.