Virat Kohli of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi) In a historic milestone, Virat Kohli became the first cricketer to play in all 19 seasons of the Indian Premier League and achieved this feat during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s opening match against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Saturday, March 28, 2026.The match was the perfect stage for Kohli to showcase his class. After SRH posted 201 for nine, off-spinner Ishan Kishan played with a 38-ball 80, supported by Heinrich Klaasen’s 31 in a 97-run fourth-wicket partnership. Jacob Duffy impressed early with figures of 3 for 22, taking advantage of the bounce on a pitch that had not hosted top-class cricket for almost 10 months.
Watch
RCB’s big changes ahead of IPL: New rules, tribute and squad update Chasing 202, RCB’s reply was led by Devdutt Padikkal and Kohli. Padikkala’s 26-ball 61 and Kohli’s unbeaten 69 off 38 balls ensured a dominant six-wicket victory, with the hosts reaching the target in just 15.4 overs. The pair put on a 101-run partnership for the second wicket in 45 balls, entertaining the Chinnaswamy crowd with contrasting but equally effective styles – Padikkal with aggressive wrist shots and Kohli with accurate shots, flicks and his trademark ‘swat’.Padikkal reached his fifty in just 21 balls, including 6, 4, 6 from David Payne and later 4 and 6 from Harsh Dubey. Meanwhile, Kohli brought up his half-century in 33 balls, mixing classic drives with quick-fire boundaries. The only minor hiccups were the dismissals of Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (31 off 12 balls) and Jitesh Sharma, but the chase was never in doubt.Kishan’s lightning was the highlight for SRH. After early wickets reduced them to 29 for three, Kishan’s fearless strokeplay, including 8 fours and 5 sixes, kept SRH competitive. He fell to a stunning one-handed catch by Phil Salt near deep backward point, with Aniket Verma (43 off 19 balls) looking to pick up speed in the final overs after Kohli dropped her for 26.RCB’s dominant reply under Kohli’s experienced leadership set the tone for their IPL-2026 campaign as well as marking a remarkable personal milestone for the veteran batter.
