Virat Kohli likely to not open for RCB in IPL 2026 due to THIS reason

Virat Kohli has been playing for RCB since the first season of IPL in 2008.

Ace Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batter Virat Kohli has begun his preparations for the upcoming IPL 2026. RCB will enter the tournament as the defending champions and are likely to play the opening match of the upcoming season at home at M Chinnaswamy Stadium on March 28.

Virat Kohli had completed his 18-year wait for an IPL trophy when RCB defeated Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the final of the IPL 2025. Kohli was excellent for the RCB, scoring 657 runs in 15 games for the franchise with 8 fifties at a strike rate of 144.71 while opening the innings. Last season, his highest score was 73*.

Kohli opened the innings with Phil Salt for RCB in the IPL 2025 and formed quite a formidable duo at the top, as Kohli anchored while Salt went after the bowling.

Will Virat Kohli open for RCB in IPL 2026?

Royal Challengers Bengaluru shared a post on social media showing Kohli starting his prep for the IPL 2026. As soon as he started training, he started hitting powerful shots in the nets.

At the training facility in the UK, the 37-year-old seemed to be in fine shape as he picked up the bat and delivered some spectacular hits. He posted a video of himself working out in the indoor nets on Instagram, captioning it “IPL 2026” with an emoticon of an hourglass.

However, there is considerable doubt about Virat Kohli opening for RCB this season. Although Kohli prefers to bat at the top of the batting order, he has mostly opened for the franchise since taking over the captaincy in the 2013 season; however, he also played at No. 3 several times.

But this time, things might be different with RCB management, including team director Mo Bobat and head coach Andy Flower, thinking about the future. In a social media post shared by RCB, they posted a photo of Phil Salt with their newest acquisition, Venkatesh Iyer, hinting that the opening combination might change this year onwards.

RCB bought Iyer for INR 7 cr, and he is primed to boost their already formidable batting lineup. Iyer had a prolific IPL 2024, scoring 370 runs, but had a lull in IPL 2025, with only 142 runs in 11 games at the top for KKR.

On the other hand, Salt scored 403 runs in 13 games for RCB with a strike rate of 175.98 with four fifties, and it seems like he is likely to form a new opening pair with Venkatesh Iyer to form a left-right opening combination.

Kohli, who has retired from both Tests and T20Is, is now only involved in one format in international cricket: the One-Day. As things stand, Kohli may give Iyer a chance to open the innings in the upcoming season.

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