Having lifted the Indian Premier League (IPL) title for the first time last year, Virat Kohli seemed hungrier for more as the former skipper got into business straightway after landing in Bengaluru in the wee hours on Wednesday. Kohli, who resides in United Kingdom currently, landed in Indian at around 4 AM and reported straight to his first training session at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

Having already retired from T20Is and Tests, Kohli only features in ODI cricket for India. That gives him ample time to recover and rejuvenate ahead of a grueling two-month IPL season. With the kind of fitness Kohli possess even at 37 and a lot lesser cricket nowadays, Kohli would be hungrier than ever to reclaim the IPL crown this year.

The former India captain didn’t waste much time. After landing in Bengaluru, Kohli sent a strong message to the whole RCB community. “Every time I wear this jersey, I’m all in. Ready for another special chase,” Kohli said in a video released by RCB. He finished by reminding “same chapter new story.”

RCB captioned the video, “Time passed. Seasons changed. And our love for the Only True King, only grows stronger by the day. Our Virat Kohli returns to where he belongs, his home, Bengaluru, for a new story. So, 12th Man Army! We ready for No. 18’s Season 19?”

How does RCB squad look like for IPL 2026?

While the franchise retianed the core from last season, they roped in eight players during the mini-auction last year in Abu Dhabi. Among the notable ones were former Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) all-rounder Venkatesh Iyer who fetched ₹7 crore and Jacob Duffy. The New Zealand pacer, who played in the T20 World Cup 2026 final, was bought by RCB for ₹2 crore.

RCB full squad for IPL 2026

Rajat Patidar (c), Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Phil Salt, Jitesh Sharma, Krunal Pandya, Swapnil Singh, Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Jacob Bethell, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Nuwan Thushara, Rasikh Salam, Abhinandan Singh, and Suyash Sharma, Venkatesh Iyer, Mangesh Yadav, Jacob Duffy, Satwik Deswal, Jordan Cox, Vihaan Malhotra, Kanishk Chouhan, Vicky Ostwal.