Virat Kohli refused to shake hands with Travis Head after Sunrisers Hyderabad defeated Royal Challengers Bengaluru in an IPL 2026 match at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on Friday.
The controversy was likely an after-effect of Kohli and Head’s war of words during the game when the RCB star was batting.
Kohli was seen having a go at Head, who was fielding at the cover region inside the circle. The SRH opener, too, seemed to be animated while replying.
The India batter was heard saying “come and bowl some deliveries” to Head. When Kohli got out, the Australian said: “You got out before I even came to bowl.”
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) May 22, 2026
Kohli scored only 15 off 11 balls with the help of two fours as RCB failed to chase down a 256-run target, losing the game by 55 runs.
It was a crucial match, especially for Sunrisers, who had to win by a big margin to overtake Royal Challengers’ and finish the league stage on top of the table. However, a 55-run win margin wasn’t enough, and Hyderabad finished third in the standings with Bengaluru at the top followed by Gujarat Titans.
Published on May 23, 2026