Ahead of the IPL 2026, former Team India cricketer Irfan Pathan said that stalwart Virat Kohli will enter the tournament with the same passion that he displayed during the ODI series against South Africa and New Zealand
Royal Challengers Bengaluru's players (Pic: File Pic)
The upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is all set to kick off from March 28. The first match of the cash-rich league is scheduled to be played between the defending champions, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
Ahead of the IPL 2026, former Team India cricketer Irfan Pathan said that stalwart Virat Kohli will enter the tournament with the same passion that he displayed during the ODI series against South Africa and New Zealand.
"We have seen that when he played for India, especially in the one-day series against South Africa and New Zealand. He looks like he wants to make an impact in every game. I think he will have the same kind of passion when he comes back this season. He will want to lift the trophy once again," he said.
The former cricketer then spoke about Devdutt Padikkal, saying that he has improved and will play a major role in the success of the Bengaluru-based franchise in the upcoming edition.
"Devdutt Padikkal is going to play a major role in RCB's success in IPL 2026. He has scored runs left, right and centre in domestic cricket across all formats. He looks like a very improved player. There was a time when he was struggling, wasn't getting his timing right. But that is in the past now. Devdutt Padikkal is a different, very confident player now," said Pathan.
He then stated that RCB is a team full of match-winners and has bowlers Nuwan Thushara and Jacob Duffy, who can cover up if star pacer Josh Hazlewood faces fitness issues.
"What I really like about RCB is that earlier they used to rely heavily on Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers and Chris Gayle to win matches. That has changed now. Their whole playing XI is full of match-winners. That is a fantastic thing. But going into IPL 2026, RCB will have some injury concerns, especially with Josh Hazlewood's fitness. The good thing is they have secured good backups. The duo of Nuwan Thushara and Jacob Duffy can cover well for Hazlewood if he faces fitness issues. That makes RCB even stronger," concluded the 41-year-old former cricketer.
IPL 2026: Update on the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium
Earlier this month, 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.
Bengaluru's remaining two home matches will be played at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium in Raipur, Chhattisgarh.
Cricket at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium has been suspended since June last year. Following RCB's triumph, fans gathered in huge numbers outside the stadium. During the celebrations, 11 people lost their lives, and several were left injured in a stampede.
(With ANI Inputs)
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