Why is Virat Kohli playing as impact player for RCB vs LSG in IPL 2026?
Virat Kohli is an opener for RCB in IPL 2026.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) are squaring off with Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 on Wednesday, April 15. The encounter is taking place at Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
RCB won the toss and opted to field first in the clash. At the toss, captain Rajat Patidar informed that they have made only one change to their playing XI. Pacer Jacob Duffy was replaced by Josh Hazlewood in the clash.
LSG have opted for the same team like the previous game. Interestingly, Virat Kohli is playing as an impact player for RCB in the encounter.
Why is Virat Kohli playing as impact player in RCB vs LSG clash?
Kohli suffered an ankle injury in the previous clash against Mumbai Indians (MI) at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. He did not take the field in the second innings, and was seen sitting in the dugout.
In the team’s practice session ahead of LSG clash, he was seen training with a bandage on his legs. Hence, Kohli is not completely fit to field and has been picked only as a batsman. Therefore, he has been added as an impact player.
Kohli has shown an impressive form in IPL 2026 so far. He has scored two half-centuries across four games. He has registered scores of 69*, 28, 32, and 50. Notably, Kohli is playing as an impact player for the first time in his IPL career.
RCB’s impact players: Virat Kohli, Venkatesh Iyer, Jordan Cox, Kanishk Chouhan, Mangesh Yadav.
LSG Impact players: Manimaran Siddharth, George Linde, Matthew Breetzke, Himmat Singh, Mayank Yadav.
Speaking at the toss, Rajat Patidar said, “We’re gonna bowl first. It’s pretty obvious. I see a pretty good surface. So, we bowl first and take the advantage of the first innings and keep the pressure. Not much (on the pitch). The previous game was having a lot of grass. But I think this wicket, there is no grass. Just one change. Josh Hazlewood comes in place of Duffy”.
Why is Virat Kohli playing as an impact player in RCB vs LSG clash?
Kohli suffered an ankle injury in the previous game. Hence, he is playing as an impact player in the match.
Who won the toss in RCB vs LSG match?
RCB won the toss and opted to field first.
For more updates, follow Khel Now Cricket on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram.
Vikas Singh Derek is a core cricket-lover since childhood and has always followed the sport both in his personal and professional life. He started his school life by watching cricket at home with family. Later, he played cricket on the field at local clubs during college. After his Master's in Journalism from Mumbai, he followed his passion by covering cricket news across various digital media. Since 2015, he has been an aspiring sports journalist and cricket content writer with over 50K+ articles.