‘Teams will come hard at us’: Virat Kohli warns RCB teammates ahead of IPL 2026
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "‘Teams will come hard at us’: Virat Kohli warns RCB teammates ahead of IPL 2026")
Royal Challengers Bengaluru's Virat Kohli Photograph: (AFP)
The defending champions, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, will begin their IPL 2026 campaign against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Mar 28 at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
India batting stalwart Virat Kohli warned his Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) teammates that IPL 2026 season will be more difficult because, they are the current champions, so other teams will try harder to beat them. During the team’s first practice session at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Kohli spoke to a small group of mostly Indian players and asked them to give their full effort in the coming weeks. For many years, RCB was often seen as a “banter franchise,” struggling to win a title despite having top players for 17 years. However, coach Andy Flower and director of cricket Mo Bobat changed the team’s approach and focused on building a balanced team with consistent performers instead of only relying on big stars. Their strategy paid off in 2025, when RCB claimed their first IPL title by defeating Punjab Kings in Ahmedabad.
Kohli said the team worked very hard over the past few seasons to achieve success, but now the challenge will be bigger because other teams will come prepared. He told his teammates not to waste any time and to stay focused, giving more than their best for the next two and a half months. He also added that the team looks excited and ready for the challenge.
“We worked really hard over the last two to three seasons to achieve what we did last year, and it’s only going to get tougher because the other teams are going to come hard at us," Kohli said.
“We don’t waste these days. We stay ahead. So, switch on now. Let’s not waste even a minute of every session we are a part of. We must give our 120% for these two and a half months. I can see from everyone’s faces that we are excited enough to be challengers," he added.
Coach Andy Flower kicked off the session by greeting the new players and said that combining them with experienced ones like Virat Kohli and Rajat Patidar will help build a solid team. Flower also mentioned that having a star on their jersey as champions is a proud moment, but last season is over and the team must now focus on winning again this year.
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“We had an interesting auction. I think we’ve improved our squad, to be quite frank," Flower said in the video. “We brought in some great new additions. So, integrating those new players into the RCB way with some of the established players, obviously led by Virat and Rajat, is an exciting part of building a new team together. If there is one difference this year, we have actually got a star on our shirts. So that is a very proud feeling to have for all RCBians. One thing that I would emphasise, though, is that the season’s gone and now we have a new challenge ahead of us, and it’s a really exciting challenge. We’re here to win this year’s IPL."
