IPL 2026:The countdown to the Indian Premier League 2026 has begun, and defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru are leaving nothing to chance as they prepare for their title defence. In a training session at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, franchise icon Virat Kohli was seen spearheading the preparations, sending a clear message to his squad. Following three consecutive seasons of scoring over 600 runs, Kohli is now on the verge of becoming the first player in IPL history to breach the historic 9,000-run milestone.
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𝑫𝒂𝒚 1️⃣. 𝑾𝒐𝒓𝒌 𝒎𝒐𝒅𝒆 🔛. ❤️🔥
Head Coach Andy Flower’s welcome to the new members of the squad, and Virat’s pep talk in the first practice session of #IPL2026 at ನಮ್ಮ Chinnaswamy. 👊
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— Royal Challengers Bengaluru (@RCBTweets) March 20, 2026
No Room for Complacency
Having finally lifted their maiden IPL trophy in 2025 by defeating Punjab Kings in a tense six-run final, the Bengaluru camp is acutely aware of the target on their backs. During a huddle captured in a viral social media post by the franchise, Kohli urged his teammates to transition immediately into competition mode. He emphasised that the hard work of the previous three years culminated in last season’s success, but warned that rival teams will be more aggressive than ever in their attempts to dethrone the champions.
“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 during the session. He demanded total focus from the group, stating, “Let’s not waste even a minute of every session we are part of. We must give our 120% for these two and a half months.”
Head Coach Andy Flower on the ‘Improved’ 2026 Squad
The franchise enters the 2026 season with a revamped roster following what head coach Andy Flower described as an “interesting” auction. Flower expressed confidence in the new additions, suggesting the squad has been significantly strengthened compared to the championship-winning side of 2025. The primary challenge now lies in integrating fresh talent with established core players like Kohli and Rajat Patidar to maintain the “RCB way” of aggressive, high-intent cricket.
Records on the Horizon for the Run-Machine
As the season opener against Sunrisers Hyderabad on 28 March approaches, all eyes remain on Kohli’s individual pursuit of greatness. With a staggering career tally of 8,661 runs across 267 matches, including eight centuries and 63 half-centuries, the former captain requires just 339 more runs to reach the 9,000-run mark. Given his recent form and the batting-friendly conditions at the Chinnaswamy, many expect the milestone to be reached within the first half of the tournament.
