Major update on Virat Kohli's injury ahead of RCB's next match in IPL 2026

Virat Kohli suffered an ankle injury during RCB’s clash against MI in IPL 2026.

Mumbai Indians (MI) served as host to the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in match 20 of Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Wankhede Stadium on April 12. RCB posted a humongous total of 240/4 riding on the quickfire 78 from Phil Salt and another quickfire 53 from captain Rajat Patidar. Virat Kohli struggled to reach his half-century, but the MI still fell short of the challenging total.

The worrying part of the match for RCB, despite the win, was Kohli’s injury. He ground his way to fifty before Hardik Pandya dismissed him in the 15th over, as Kohli sent a looping catch to Suryakumar Yadav at cover.

Kohli did not celebrate his half-century; he walked off furious, throwing his gloves and helmet in visible frustration. His struggles in the second half of the innings told their own story, as he managed just 30 runs off his last 27 balls after a brisk start, as Virat clearly couldn’t find the timing that Salt and Patidar displayed at the other end.

The situation got even more worrying after the break. Kohli did not take the field for the second innings, and the team held him back as a precaution, and Jacob Bethell substituted for him.

Update on Virat Kohli’s injury after MI vs RCB clash of IPL 2026

Former India head coach Ravi Shastri noted on air that Kohli did not look 100%, and commentator Simon Doull confirmed that Kohli had sustained a lower ankle injury. Despite the concern surrounding their star player, RCB comfortably defended their total. Krunal Pandya’s spell of 1-26 strangled MI‘s run flow in the middle overs, and RCB eventually won by 18 runs.

When the RCB camp spoke after the match, the picture remained cautiously optimistic rather than alarming. When reporters asked about Kohli’s condition at the post-match presentation, captain Rajat Patidar said, “I don’t know, but I feel he’s okay right now.” Those words gave fans some relief, even if he didn’t give a full guarantee on Kohli’s health.

The injury did not look severe, and the team expects Kohli back for the upcoming match. Meanwhile, Krunal Pandya, in press-conference, also stated that the batter is fine. “Virat Kohli will be fine and nothing to worry about him. He would be fine,” he said.

RCB management remained hopeful that nothing serious had developed, though no one knew the full details of the ankle issue by the end of the night. With RCB sitting third on the points table and Kohli accumulating 179 runs across four matches at an average pushing 60, any absence, even a single game, would carry real impact for the defending champions.

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