Virat Kohli has begun the IPL 2026 season in fine form for Royal Challengers Bengaluru. | Photo Credit: K MURALI KUMAR

Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s has started its title defence strongly, winning four of its first six matches as it looks to become the first team to win back-to-back IPL titles.

Leading the way with the bat once again for Rajat Patidar’s men is Virat Kohli, who is the team’s leading run-scorer with 247 runs from six innings at an average of 49.40 and a strike-rate of 157.32. 

However, former India international Sanjay Manjrekar believes that a large part of the RCB’s recent success can be attributed to the side shedding its dependence on Kohli.

“I believe that what has changed in the last two years, apart from Virat Kohli’s strike rate going up, is that he has stopped believing that he is the one batter who’s got to do it for RCB, and has taken a little bit of a backseat and delegated,” Manjrekar said on Sportstar’s Inside Edge podcast. 

“Earlier, when AB and Virat were the two big batters, by accident or by design, they were consuming a lot of balls per RCB innings,” Manjrekar said. “If you see now with RCB, people like Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar, and Tim David are providing a lot of useful contributions from down the order because they are getting the opportunity to come in and spend time in the middle.” 

“I’d like to believe that the reason RCB won the title and is looking really good this season is because Virat Kohli, who bats at the top of the order, is just not putting as huge a prize on his wicket and has started trusting the batters to come a little more.” 

Manjrekar noted that Kohli’s improved strike-rate had dovetailed well with the pyrotechnics coming from the rest of the RCB batting line-up, saying, “Earlier, he was happy to go at a strike-rate of 120-130. Also, I think he was going into bat and thinking about a milestone, which not too many people think. But I can understand the pressure of a big brand wanting to get those 50s and showing that he’s contributing. 

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“But I believe where things have changed is that Virat Kohli now realises that he cannot bat at a strike-rate of 130. Things have moved on. He is batting at a strike-rate of 150 generally. But interestingly, down the order, people are going at 180-200 and that is why RCB is playing so well.

Fitness focus

Manjrekar also praised Kohli for his fitness, noting that it was one of the important reasons behind the 37-year-old’s continued impressive form. 

“The amount of time he spends just wanting to be this very, very fit cricketer. So when you’re aging and if you’re not really supremely fit, T20 cricket is about hand-eye coordination and running hard between the wickets, and you just have to be young in body. If your eyes can keep pace with it, that’s fine. 

“Virat Kohli doesn’t let his age come in the way too much. It does, in Test cricket you saw that. But his fitness is never going to actually make things even more difficult for him. And we’re seeing that in his T20 batting both last season, and this season as well.”

He further pointed out that this was in line with how Kohli had achieved success across his career. 

“Virat has achieved greatness, reached exceptional heights. He wasn’t as gifted as Tendulkar with batting ability or you’ll see his technique let him down in Test cricket,” Manjrekar. “But he willed himself to those heights by sheer fitness, and wanting to be at his best every time he stepped onto the field, just like Tendulkar. And that is what sets him apart.”

Published on Apr 23, 2026