The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has released the entire schedule for the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Earlier, the schedule of only the first 20 matches was released due to state elections. As the entire schedule has been announced, here are the matches that the Mumbai Indians (MI) will be playing this season: Mumbai Indians will begin their IPL 2026 campaign by playing a clash against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on March 29 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The "Paltan" will then lock horns with Delhi Capitals (DC) on April 4th at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi. Hardik Pandya-led MI will then clash against Rajasthan Royals (RR) on April 7th at the Assam Cricket Association Stadium in Guwahati. The "Men in Blue and Gold" will return to Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai for the fixture against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on April 12th. Later, Punjab Kings (PBKS) will clash against the "Paltan" on April 16 at the Wankhede Stadium. Gujarat Titans (GT) will then host MI on April 20 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. One of the fiercest rivals, Chennai Super Kings (CSK), will lock horns with MI on April 23 in Mumbai. Pandya-led men will then face Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Chennai on April 29 and May 2, respectively. The clash against Hyderabad will be played at the Wankhede Stadium, whereas the match against CSK is scheduled to be played at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) will face the five-time champions (MI) on May 4 in Mumbai. Mumbaikars will then take on the defending champions, RCB, on May 10 at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. Mumbai will then face PBKS on May 14 at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association in Dharamshala. After concluding with the PBKS clash, the "Men in Blue and Gold" will play a match on May 20 against KKR at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Mumbai Indians will conclude their league stage matches by playing a clash against Rajasthan Royals (RR) on May 24 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
26 March,2026 07:32 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentThe Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced the second phase of the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Earlier, only the schedule of first 20 matches was released due to state elections. The remainder of the league stage will include 50 matches. All the remaining matches will be played from April 13 to May 24 across 12 venues in the country. Bengaluru, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Delhi, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Jaipur, Dharamsala, Raipur and New Chandigarh will host the matches of the second phase. 🚨 News 🚨BCCI announces schedule for second phase of #TATAIPL 2026 🗓️The remainder of the league stage, comprising 50 matches, will be played from April 13 to May 24, 2026, across 12 venues in India 🏟️More details 🔽https://t.co/iYGnB0Gd2J — IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) March 26, 2026 On April 13th, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) will lock horns with Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad. Additionally, the second half of the tournament will see eight double-headers being played. The tournament will kick off from March 28, with the first match schedule to be played between the defending champions, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. Earlier, the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) Secretary, Santosh Menon, confirmed that the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium will host five of the RCB's IPL 2026 home games. The venue will also host one of the play-off matches and the title clash of the tournament. IPL 2026, Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Sunrisers Hyderabad: Full Squads Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Virat Kohli, Josh Hazlewood, Swapnil Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jacob Duffy, Krunal Pandya, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Venkatesh Iyer, Phil Salt (WK), Rajat Patidar (C), Nuwan Thushara, Romario Shepherd, Tim David, Devdutt Padikkal, Yash Dayal, Rasikh Salam, Jordan Cox, Jacob Bethell, Vicky Ostwal, Mangesh Yadav, Suyash Sharma, Vihaan Malhotra, Abhinandan Singh, Kanishk Chouhan, Satvik Deswal. Sunrisers Hyderabad: Harshal Patel, Jaydev Unadkat, Pat Cummins, Heinrich Klaasen (WK), Travis Head, Liam Livingstone, Ishan Kishan (WK), Kamindu Mendis, Brydon Carse, Zeeshan Ansari, Abhishek Sharma, Shivam Mavi, Jack Edwards, Harsh Dubey, Salil Arora (WK), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Amit Kumar, Praful Hinge, Smaran Ravichandran, Eshan Malinga, Sakib Hussain, Aniket Verma, Shivang Kumar, Krains Bhaveshbhai Fuletra, Omkar Tarmale.
26 March,2026 06:47 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentThe IPL 2026 is all set to kick off from March 28. So far, the schedule of only first 20 matches has been released due to state elections. Ahead of the league, former South African cricketer Faf du Plessis heaped praise on Gautam Gambhir and also spoke about the Indian as a leader. The South African said that Gambhir is always seen as a villain when it comes to playing against him. "My perspective of Gambhir is obviously very different from the guys who play with him. He's always the villain in the story when it comes to playing against him, but you respect that. And I think that's the key thing with Gautam Gambhir, he's so competitive. He does not worry for one second about being liked by anyone," he said. The former cricketer also said that a team would always want to beat Gambhir, considering the way he carries himself as the opposition. Faf also said that the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) was a stronger team under the leadership of Gambhir. "From the outside, as a fellow leader playing against him, you want to beat him because of the way he carries himself as the opposition, but you respect the fact that he sets such high standards. That's what good leaders do, and he's created that since the day he started playing. If you look at his record, you have to take your hat off and say, from a leadership perspective, KKR with him was a stronger team," he said. KKR will begin their IPL 2026 campaign by playing a clash against the Mumbai Indians (MI) on March 29 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. IPL 2026, Kolkata Knight Riders vs Mumbai Indians: Full Squads Kolkata Knight Riders: Ajinkya Rahane (C), Manish Pandey, Sunil Narine, Rahul Tripathi, Tim Seifert (WK), Rinku Singh, Rovman Powell, Sarthak Ranjan, Finn Allen (WK), Rachin Ravindra, Cameron Green, Ramandeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kartik Tyagi, Blessing Muzarabani, Akash Deep, Prashant Solanki, Matheesha Pathirana, Vaibhav Arora, Umran Malik, Angkrish Raghuvanshi, Harshit Rana, Tejasvi Singh (WK), Daksh Kamra. Mumbai Indians: Rohit Sharma, Trent Boult, Suryakumar Yadav, Quinton de Kock (WK), Mitchell Santner, Deepak Chahar, Shardul Thakur, Corbin Bosch, Hardik Pandya (C), Jasprit Bumrah, Ryan Rickelton (WK), Will Jacks, Mayank Rawat, Mayank Markande, Sherfane Rutherford, Raghu Sharma, Atharva Ankolekar, Tilak Varma, Ashwani Kumar, Raj Bawa, Danish Malewar, Robin Minz (WK), Allah Ghazanfar, Naman Dhir, Mohammed Salahuddin Izhar. (With ANI Inputs)
26 March,2026 06:21 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentThe Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) released the matches for Team India's senior men's international home season for 2026-27. It includes a multi-format schedule against four visiting teams. Ahead of the season, India will host the West Indies, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, and Australia across 22 international matches, which will be played in 17 cities. The home season will kick off with the West Indies tour on September 27. The series will include three ODI matches and five T20I games. Trivandrum, Guwahati and New Chandigarh will host three ODIs, respectively. The T20I matches will be played in Lucknow, Ranchi, Indore, Hyderabad and Bengaluru. In December 2026, Sri Lanka will arrive for a white-ball series comprising three ODIs and three T20Is. Delhi, Bengaluru and Ahmedabad will host the ODIs, with Rajkot, Cuttack and Pune scheduled to stage the T20I matches. At the start of 2027, Zimbabwe will tour India for a three-match ODI series, with fixtures slated for Kolkata, Hyderabad and Mumbai. Team India will conclude the season with the much-anticipated Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia. The Test series will begin on January 21, 2027, in Nagpur. The remaining four matches will be hosted in Chennai, Guwahati, Ranchi and Ahmedabad, respectively. Team India's schedule for the home season 2026-27 West Indies tour of India: ODI series: Dates and venues 1st ODI: September 27, 2026, Trivandrum2nd ODI: September 30, 2026, Guwahati3rd ODI: October 3, 2026, New Chandigarh T20I series: Dates and venues 1st T20I: October 6, 2026, Lucknow2nd T20I: October 9, 2026, Ranchi3rd T20I: October 11, 2026, Indore4th T20I: October 14, 2026, Hyderabad5th T20I: October 17, 2026, Bengaluru Sri Lanka tour of India: ODI series: Dates and venues 1st ODI: December 13, 2026, Delhi2nd ODI: December 16, 2026, Bengaluru3rd ODI: December 19, 2026, Ahmedabad T20I series: Dates and venues 1st T20I: December 22, 2026, Rajkot2nd T20I: December 24, 2026, Cuttack3rd T20I: December 27, 2026, Pune Zimbabwe tour of India: ODI series: Dates and venues 1st ODI: January 3, 2027, Kolkata2nd ODI: January 6, 2027, Hyderabad3rd ODI: January 9, 2027, Mumbai Border-Gavaskar Trophy: Dates and venues 1st Test: January 21-25, 2027, Nagpur2nd Test: January 29-February 2, 2027, Chennai3rd Test: February 11-15, 2027, Guwahati4th Test: February 19-23, 2027, Ranchi5th Test: February 27- March 3, 2027, Ahmedabad (With ANI Inputs)
26 March,2026 04:31 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentThe IPL 2026 is all set to kick off from March 28. So far, the schedule of only first 20 matches has been released due to state elections. Ahead of the league, Prithvi Shaw will make his appearance for Delhi Capitals (DC). Speaking ahead of the tournament, the right-handed batsman said that he is working hard to make a comeback in the national setup. "That is why I am playing. There's no doubt that I have to come back to the Indian team. That's exactly why I'm playing and why I'm working so hard. The amount of effort I used to put in, I put in three times more today. I feel I'm giving not just 100 per cent, but 200 per cent to make that comeback," he said. Further speaking about the struggles, the cricketer said that he faced them with respect and a smile. He also stated that a player realises his mistakes as he keeps growing older. "If I'm not feeling good, then I won't be practising. You don't get anything by practising at 50 per cent. If you're on the ground, you give your 100 per cent, or you don't come to the ground at all. Whatever ups and downs happened, I faced them with respect and a smile. As you grow up, you realise your own mistakes. You don't need seniors or mentors to tell you what you already know. It's better if you understand those things yourself beforehand and then move forward," said Shaw. DC will begin their IPL 2026 campaign by playing a clash against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on April 1 at the Ekana Cricket Stadium B Ground in Lucknow. IPL 2026, Lucknow Super Giants vs Delhi Capitals: Full Squads Lucknow Super Giants: Mitchell Marsh, Mohammed Shami, Shahbaz Ahmed, Anrich Nortje, Nicholas Pooran (WK), Aiden Markram, Avesh Khan, Wanindu Hasaranga, Himmar Singh, Matthew Breetzke, Rishabh Pant (C) (WK), Josh Inglis (WK), M Siddharth, Moshin Khan, Ayush Badoni, Arjun Tendulkar, Akash Singh, Abdul Samad, Arshin Kulkarni, Naman Tiwari, Akshat Raghuvanshi, Mayank Yadav, M Choudhary (WK), Prince Yadav, Digvesh Rathi. Delhi Capitals: David Miller, Mitchell Starc, Dushmantha Chameera, KL Rahul (WK), Karun Nair, Axar Patel (C), Ben Duckett (WK), Kuldeep Yadav, Nitish Rana, Kyle Jamieson, Lungi Ngidi, T. Natarajan, Mukesh Kumar, Pathum Nissanka, Ajay Mandal, Prithvi Shaw, Ashutosh Sharma, Auqib Nabi, Sameer Rizvi, Tristan Stubbs, Abhishek Porel (WK), Vipraj Nigam, Tripurana Vijay, Sahil Parakh, Madhav Tiwari. (With ANI Inputs)
26 March,2026 04:01 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentChennai Super Kings captain Ruturaj Gaikwad has confirmed that he will be opening the batting with the star wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson in the IPL 2026, starting March 28. There were doubts regarding the CSK opening pair with youngstar Ayush Mhatre in the mix; however, the captain has put rest to any doubts ahead of the start of the season.Gaikwad attended an all-captain meeting with the BCCI in Mumbai on Wednesday before attending the 'Captains Day' event. Ruturaj revealed the new batting tandem for the IPL 2026 when he responded, "Rutu and Sanju," to a question about the opening duo for the CSK.After being traded from the Rajasthan Royals, where he spent 11 seasons, Samson will play for the CSK for the first time. Samson was also the Player of the Tournament at the recently concluded T20 World Cup, where India defeated New Zealand to lift the trophy.The 31-year-old Samson is in fine form after making 321 runs in five innings at an average of above 80 and a strike rate of nearly 200. He has made 4704 runs in 177 IPL matches so far with the help of three tons and 26 half-centuries. Samson's inclusion will provide a big boost to the CSK batting that struggled last season.After a terrible start to the season, the Ruturaj Gaikwad-led team finished at the bottom of the points standings. However, they have assembled a formidable team in the mini-auction and are optimistic about winning a record sixth title this year.CSK will start their season on March 30 against the Rajasthan Royals at Guwahati. Chennai Super Kings full squad for IPL 2026: Anshul Kamboj, Gurjapneet Singh, Jamie Overton, MS Dhoni, Mukesh Choudhary, Spencer Johnson, Noor Ahmad, Ramakrishna Ghosh, Sanju Samson, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Shivam Dube, Shreyas Gopal, Syed Khaleel Ahmed, Ayush Mhatre, Dewald Brevis, Urvil Patel, Sarfaraz Khan (Rs 75 lakh), Kartik Sharma (Rs 14.20 Cr), Prashant Veer (Rs 14.20 Cr), Matthew Short (Rs 1.50 Cr), Aman Khan (Rs 40 lakh), Zak Foulkes (Rs 75 lakh), Akeal Hosein (Rs 2 Cr), Rahul Chahar (INR 5.2 Cr), Matt Henry (Rs 2 Cr). (With ANI Input)
26 March,2026 01:35 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentFormer Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) owner Vijay Mallya congratulated the new owners of the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise after the biggest deal in IPL history. RCB franchise has been sold for a massive Rs 166.6 billion (around Rs 16,660 crore) to a high-profile consortium led by the Aditya Birla Group, alongside The Times of India Group, Bolt Ventures, and Blackstone.Mallya shared a message on X, recalling his early investment and the journey of the team. He ended the message saying 'RCB will always remain a part of my DNA'. I would like to heartily congratulate the new owners of RCB. I wish them the very best and Godspeed with the most valuable IPL franchise. When I bought the franchise in 2008 for INR 450 crores, most people laughed at me and criticised my investment as a vanity project. Behind my… — Vijay Mallya (@TheVijayMallya) March 26, 2026 Sharing the tweet on X, Mallya wrote, "I would like to heartily congratulate the new owners of RCB. I wish them the very best and Godspeed with the most valuable IPL franchise. When I bought the franchise in 2008 for INR 450 crores, most people laughed at me and criticised my investment as a vanity project. Immensely gratifying to see my INR 450 crore investment grow to INR 16,500 crores. RCB will always remain a part of my DNA with indelible memories, including picking the young Virat Kohli, who is now amongst the best in the World. To all RCB fans who came on board during my stewardship and beyond, a grateful thank you, and please continue to support RCB, the Lion of Bengaluru. Namaskara." Mallya's Rs 450 crore investment in 2008 was widely criticised, with many considering it expensive, at a time when the IPL was still struggling. But the decision paid off; his team's choice to select a young Virat Kohli, who was captain of the India U19 World Cup at the time, has contributed significantly to the team's ongoing appeal throughout the world. Kohli's subsequent success and enormous fan base helped solidify the team's reputation as a fan favourite. The RCB Deal The Royal Challengers Bengaluru has been sold for a massive amount of around Rs 16,660 crore to a high-profile consortium led by the Aditya Birla Group, The Times of India Group, Bolt Ventures, and Blackstone.United Spirits Limited (USL) announced the deal, which entails the sale of a 100% equity investment in its wholly owned subsidiary Royal Challengers Sports Private Limited (RCSPL), which owns and runs RCB's IPL and Women's Premier League (WPL) franchises. (With ANI Input)
26 March,2026 11:18 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentIndian batter Rinku Singh thanked Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and his government for appointing him a Regional Sports Officer on Wednesday. X handle of Government of UP, shared a video in which the flamboyant left-hand batter thanked the Chief Minister and said, "I am deeply grateful from the bottom of my heart to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath ji for honouring me with a sum of Rs 3 crore and assigning me the responsibility of Regional Sports Officer." In the video, the 27-year-old batter also said that he couldn't meet the Chief Minister due to his commitments with the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and is expecting to meet him after the conclusion of the IPL 2026, and also collect his appointment letter from him. उत्तर प्रदेश सरकार द्वारा मुझे ₹3 करोड़ की सम्मान राशि एवं क्षेत्रीय क्रीड़ा अधिकारी के रूप में दायित्व प्रदान करने के लिए मैं मुख्यमंत्री @myogiadityanath जी का हृदय से आभारी हूं।-रिंकू सिंहअंतरराष्ट्रीय क्रिकेटर pic.twitter.com/7BQCrNOhfI — Government of UP (@UPGovt) March 25, 2026 Rinku rose to stardom by smashing Gujarat Titans' Yash Dayal during the IPL 2023 for five successive sixes in the final over during a tense chase of 200-odd runs for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), and since then, has become an Asian Games gold medal winner, Asia Cup winner and, most recently, the T20 World Cup winner with Men in Blue. He has helped the India men's team win several matches by playing the role of an explosive, six-hitting finisher down the order. In 45 T20Is, Rinku has made 665 runs at an average of 39.11 and a strike rate of 155.73. He also has three half-centuries in the shortest format. Rinku has also represented India in a couple of ODIs. He has three T20Is and an ODI wicket under his name. Rinku has also been named the vice-captain of KKR for the upcoming IPL 2026, taking on a new leadership role within the team. He will serve as the deputy to Ajinkya Rahane, stepping into the vice-captaincy role previously held by Venkatesh Iyer, who was acquired by defending champions Royal Challengers Bangalore for Rs 7 crore ahead of the season. Earlier on Wednesday, while speaking during the programme organised for the distribution of appointment letters and prize money to international medal-winning players on Wednesday, CM Yogi emphasised that Uttar Pradesh is the first state in the country to give priority to athletes in government services. "UP is the first state in the country to give athletes priority in government service. So far, we have provided appointment letters to over 500 athletes for various police positions... For his performance in cricket and the Asian Games, Rinku Singh has been given an appointment letter as a Regional Sports Officer. He is already a part of a camp (KKR camp in the IPL), so he has gone there. Many other players have also got appointment letters here today," he said. This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
26 March,2026 10:48 AM IST | Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) | ANISunrisers Hyderabad captain Pat Cummins has stated that he is recovering from a back injury and hopes to play again in the middle of the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL). The Australian pacer is set to miss the opening few matches of the tournament due to a back problem.According to ESPNcricinfo, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) captain Cummins stated on a Business of Sport podcast that he has started bowling in the nets again and is slowly increasing his workload as part of a systematic rehabilitation plan."I'm still recovering from a back injury, but it's good. I'm back bowling in the nets. The IPL is starting soon. I won't make the start of that, but it shouldn't be too long before I'm back out there playing," Cummins said.The fast bowler is optimistic about making a speedy return while acknowledging that he would miss the first part of the IPL. Cummins also admitted that, as part of a closely watched regimen intended to guarantee a safe return to competitive cricket, he is currently bowling every third day."We've mapped out a plan to get me right by [the] middle of the tournament, so hopefully, if nothing goes wrong, [I'll] play the back half plus the finals," Cummins added.Cummins played just one Test match against England during the Ashes series last year due to a back stress injury. The pacer also missed the ICC Men's T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka but is aiming to come back on the field soon.In place of Cummins, the Hyderabad-based franchise has confirmed that India wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan will be the stand-in skipper for the 2026 season. The Sunrisers Hyderabad will start their season against the defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru, on March 29. Sunrisers Hyderabad squad for IPL 2026: Ishan Kishan, Salil Arora, Travis Head, Heinrich Klaasen, Ravichandran Smaran, Aniket Verma, Abhishek Sharma, Brydon Carse, Harsh Dubey, Krains Fuletra, Liam Livingstone, Kamindu Mendis, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Harshal Patel, Shivam Mavi, Shivang Kumar, Jack Edwards, Amit Kumar, Praful Hinge, Eshan Malinga, David Payne, Sakib Hussain, Onkar Tarmale, Jaydev Unadkat, Zeeshan Ansari, David Payne, and Pat Cummins (With ANI Input)
26 March,2026 10:45 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentIndia and Delhi Capital pacer Mukesh Kumar has praised Axar Patel's leadership style, emphasising the all-rounder's composed manner and optimistic outlook as crucial elements in creating a positive atmosphere inside the team.Before the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, Mukesh told reporters that Axar is a player-friendly captain who encourages open communication and backs his teammates to express themselves on the field. He further added that Axae wants his players to play freely on the pitch."He is a very good person. He is always positive. I get to talk to him about field placement. He tells me to play freely," Mukesh Kumar said.Mukesh Kumar also revealed that he is working on expanding his bowling arsenal, focusing mainly on deliveries that could bring him success in the T20 format.Speaking about his preparation for the upcoming season of the IPL, Mukesh admitted he is focusing on delivering yorkers and wide yorkers, an important skill in modern-day cricket. He further added that he is trying to improve the consistency of length balls ahead of the IPL"Obviously, I am working on everything, along with the length ball, which is required in a T20. And if there is a yorker or a wide yorker, it is optional for every bowler. So everything is being worked on," Mukesh Kumar said.Delhi Capitals will begin their season campaign against Lucknow Super Giants on April 1. Their next clash will be against the Mumbai Indians on April 4, followed by their matches against the Gujarat Titans and Chennai Super Kings on April 8 and April 11, respectively. The Delhi Capitals have never won the IPL trophy. They reached the final in 2020 when they were beaten by the Mumbai Indians. Axar Patel-led team will be aiming to win their maiden title in 2026. Delhi Capitals squad for IPL 2026: Nitish Rana, Abishek Porel, Ajay Mandal, Ashutosh Sharma, Axar Patel, Dushmantha Chameera, Karun Nair, KL Rahul, Kuldeep Yadav, Madhav Tiwari, Mitchell Starc, Sameer Rizvi, T Natarajan, Tripurana Vijay, Tristan Stubbs, Vipraj Nigam, David Miller, Ben Duckett, Auqib Nabi, Pathum Nissanka, Lungi Ngidi, Sahil Parakh, Prithvi Shaw, Kyle Jamieson.(With ANI Input)
26 March,2026 10:44 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentRCB batting coach and mentor, Dinesh Karthik, has been impressed with Virat Kohli's attitude and intent after RCB's second intra-squad practice game ahead of the new season of IPL. Kohli scored a 19-ball 45 during the practice match as he prepares for the 19th edition of the IPL.Speaking after RCB's practice match on Wednesday, Karthik heaped praise on Kohli for his dominant performance in the warm-up matches. Karthik highlighted Kohli's drive to improve, positive intent and his energy that helps keep the team environment positive."Good game today. The class of Virat came through quite nicely up front, played some lovely shots. The greatness about Virat is every year he comes up with a certain plan, a certain intent. I feel this year he'll try and get even better. That tells a lot about the person that he is. He's always trying to push his boundaries. And also what he brings in terms of energy to the crowd, to the meetings. Those are all big things and that's a big part of Virat's personality as well," Karthik said in a video posted by RCB on social media.On Monday, RCB played their first intra-squad warm-up game. In the game, captain Rajat Patidar produced 74 runs of 25 balls, while wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma scored a 37-ball 81, and Kohli made a brief 12-ball 29-run cameo.Jitesh (81 in 37 balls), Tim David (36 in 14 balls), Iyer (30 in 16 balls), and Virat (29 in 12 balls) dominated the scorecard as the Venkatesh Iyer-led team batted first and scored 234/7. The opposing team, led by Krunal, scored 247 runs in their 20 overs, with notable performances from Rajat (74 in 25 balls), Padikkal (63 in 33 balls), and Krunal (58 in 33 balls).RCB will kickstart their IPL 2026 campaign against Sunrisers Hyderabad at home in Bengaluru on March 28. Royal Challengers Bengaluru 2026 Squad: Rajat Patidar (c), Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Devdutt Padikkal, Jitesh Sharma, Venkatesh Iyer, Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Jacob Bethell, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Nuwan Thushara, Swapnil Singh, Suyash Sharma, Rasikh Salam, Jacob Duffy, Mangesh Yadav, Jordan Cox, Vicky Ostwal, Abhinandan Singh, Satvik Deswal, Vihaan Malhotra, Kanishk Chouhan. (With ANI Input)
26 March,2026 10:08 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondentADVERTISEMENT
-1774512135966_d.png "Ruturaj Gaikwad (Pic: CSK)")
