Virat Kohli in action during RCB warm-up ahead of IPL 2026 (Screengrab/RCB Video) With the Indian Premier League 2026 just a few days away, preparations are in full swing for all the teams. At the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru played their first warm-up match ahead of their title defense with Virat Kohli looking in good touch with a blistering 29 off 12 balls while Jitesh Sharma ran the show with a blistering 81 off just 37 deliveries.The teams led by new recruit Venkatesh Iyer (Team Venka) and Krunal Pandya (Team Krunal) put up a solid performance and it was a race as per the score sheet. The Venky team batted first 234 for seven. Apart from Jitesh and Kohli, Tim David blasted 36 off just 14 balls while skipper Iyer scored a quick-fire 36 off 16.
Watch
IPL 2026: RCB confirm their home venue for the upcoming edition In reply, chasing 235, Devdutt Padikkal – who will be pushing for a place in the playing eleven – hit 63 off 33 balls. Pandya contributed 58 off 33 but it was RCB captain Rajat Patidar who sealed the win for Krunal’s side with a stunning 74 off 25 balls.Head coach Andy Flower said of the outing: “It’s always nice to get away from the net and into competitive situations, so it was a really productive evening. Some of the highlights were watching guys like Jitesh score 80-odd off 35 balls, and Rajat lighting up some wonderful knocks, as we know.Flower has also been impressed with the youngsters, especially Abhinandan Singh, who was picked by RCB in the IPL 2026 auction last December. Singh made his mark in the UPT20 league playing for Lucknow Falcons. “Some of the youngsters also performed well. Abhinandan was good with the ball, Rasikh (Dar) bowled well and it was nice to see Vicky Ostwal and his skill with the left-arm spin. So it was a great night’s work for everyone in the team,” Flower said. Krunal Pandya was happy with the way Virat Kohli looked there in the middle and batted with focus. “Yeah, from the batsmen, I think Jitesh played really well today. Some shots were amazing. Tim David played really well. Venkatesh (Iyer) batted really well, Virat batted really well, you know, coming out and intent and some shots. What Virat played today was amazing, it looked good, which is a great sign for us. So fingers crossed!”, he added. RCB will begin their title defense at home at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru with a season opener against their trans-Kaveri rivals, Sunrisers Hyderabad on March 28.
Vote
Which player do you think will be RCB’s best player in IPL 2026?
Both teams are struggling with player unavailability. RCB will be without Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood in the opening stages of the tournament.2016 champions Hyderabad have named Ishan Kishan as interim captain in the absence of Pat Cummins. They also have injury concerns, with Jack Edwards ruled out of the tournament and uncertainty over Sri Lankan pace recruit Eshan Malinga.
