Royal Challengers Bengaluru star attraction Virat Kohli is at the peak of his prowess and remains hungry to succeed in the Indian Premier League, said head coach Andy Flower ahead of the team’s opener against SunRisers Hyderabad.

Speaking ahead of the Indian Premier League 2026 opener, set to be played on Saturday, March 28, Flower praised Kohli’s commitment in the pre-season camp, stating that his ball-striking in the nets has been pristine at the start of the season.

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“Virat is in a really good space mentally. He’s very comfortable with himself but still incredibly hungry, and watching him strike the ball in training, he looks at the peak of his powers,” Flower said at the pre-match press conference in Bengaluru on Friday.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru are the defending champions this season, having won the IPL after an 18-year-long wait. They will hope to start the season with a bang, especially with cricket returning to the city after a long gap.

The stadium was barred from holding games after the stampede incident outside the M Chinnaswamy Stadium premises last June, where a total of 11 people died during RCB’s trophy celebrations.

RCB vs SRH: Bengaluru Pitch Conditions

The head coach also spoke about conditions at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, stating that RCB do not want to repeat their early-season struggles this time around. In 2025, a sticky wicket at the venue put the batters in trouble, and matches at the Chinnaswamy turned out to be anything but high-scoring affairs.

Flower said that the team will assess conditions early this season and play accordingly.

“We lost our first three matches at Chinnaswamy last year and we learned from those experiences. Conditions might be slightly different this time as well, so we’ll have to assess that. But at your home venue, you should have a better understanding of the nuances of the conditions than your opposition. We’ve been practicing here and talking a lot about those aspects, so I’d like to think we’ll be slightly ahead of the opposition on our own surface,” he concluded.

Virat Kohli’s Standout IPL 2025 Season

Virat Kohli had an incredible 2025 season, guiding Royal Challengers Bengaluru to their maiden IPL title. The batter was quick off the blocks and maintained a high strike rate throughout RCB’s title-winning run last season.

What stood out last time around was Kohli’s intent inside and outside the powerplay, which helped him score 657 runs at a strike rate of 144. He also excelled on tricky surfaces, guiding the team’s batting order to safe scores in most games.

Since his retirement from Test cricket, which came midway through IPL 2025, Kohli has amped up his intent in the ODI format – something that might be a feature in the 2026 edition of the Indian Premier League as well.

Fans eagerly wait to see the RCB talisman in action this season.

The opening game of the IPL between RCB and SRH will start at 7:30 pm IST.

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