Virat Kohli SHUTS DOWN reports of him demanding chartered flight for London during IPL 2026; Know here
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Virat Kohli’s RCB will begin their IPL 2026 campaign on March 28 against SRH.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) prepares for their title defense and are set to kick-off their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season on March 28 against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). It will Virat Kohli back in action, as RCB look to become just the third team in the league’s history to successfully defend their crown.
Ahead of the 19th edition of the IPL, some rumours were circulating on social media about Virat Kohli’s unrealistic demand for a charter flight. According to some reports, Kohli had demanded RCB to arrange for chartered flights between India and London, so that he could travel back home during breaks of more than three days between two RCB matches.
According to these viral reports, Kohli wanted to spend more time with his family and it showcased his ability to juggle between profession and personal life. Many fans believed these baseless rumours, and some even criticised Kohli for not having the same drive, hunger or commitment for RCB, which he had in the past.
Virat Kohli responds to his chartered flight demand allegations
In a rare instance of Virat Kohli responding to such baseless and wrong allegations, the Indian legend posted a story on Instagram where he exposed one of the accounts spreading this fake news about him. Kohli dropped two laughing emojis, thereby bringing all such putting an end to all such allegations.
This is not the first time Kohli has responded and fact checked false information being spread about him, having previously even questioned Times of India for reporting incorrect information about him buying a property in Alibaug.
Virat Kohli has the biggest fanbase in the world amongst all cricketers with over 275 million followers on Instagram. After his story exposing the account worldinlast24hrs, the account crashed as Kohli fans began reporting this account in huge numbers.
This yet again underlines Kohli’s strong fan following, and his simple reaction to the fake news will force news agencies to be more mindful and careful, when they next time try to spread baseless and wrong rumours about him, simply for reach and engagement.
When is RCB’s first match at IPL 2026?
The first match of Royal Challengers Bengaluru will be played on 28 March against Sunrisers Hyderabad
When did Virat Kohli last play a cricket match?
He was previously seen in action on January 18, 2026, when India played the third and final ODI against New Zealand.
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Aniruddh Seshadri Iyer is a passionate sports journalist at Khel Now, specializing in tennis and Olympic sports. An engineer by training, he found his storytelling passion through iconic Grand Slam and Olympic moments. Known for sharp analysis and insightful coverage, he draws inspiration from Novak Djokovic’s resilience. Outside journalism, he enjoys reading, traveling, and playing the guitar.