IPL 2026 encounter between Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) has culminated in massive social media controversy. Following SRH’s 55-run win at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on May 22, 2026, a post-match incident involving Indian batting legend Virat Kohli and Australian star Travis Head quickly went viral.
Customary post-match broadcast footage showed Kohli completely bypassing a handshake with the SRH opener, fueling a fierce online debate regarding sportsmanship and lingering on-field rivalries.
The Incident
Following the conclusion of the match, players from both franchises lined up for the traditional post-match handshakes. As the line moved forward, Travis Head extended his hand in a sporting gesture toward Kohli. However, a visibly frustrated Kohli looked straight ahead, completely ignored the extended hand, and walked right past the left-handed batsman.
The snub was clearly intentional, as Kohli was seen warmly greeting and chatting with other SRH members immediately before and after Head, including Hyderabad skipper Pat Cummins, young opener Abhishek Sharma, and wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan. Head was left standing in place, looking back in confusion as Kohli moved down the line.
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Virat, when speaking on a podcast: “I leave things and aggression when the match is over.”
Reality when the match is over 👀
No Handshake when Travis Head offered one 👀 pic.twitter.com/UKPIlAWJpb
— Pitch Perfect (@_pitch__perfect) May 22, 2026
How Friction Built Across Both Innings
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#ViratKohli 🆚 #TravisHead 🥵🤯
Tensions rise in high voltage clash🔥#TATAIPL Race to Playoffs 2026 👉 #SRHvRCB | LIVE NOW ➡️https://t.co/52qPTW2gSO pic.twitter.com/JOiWaxNW6T
— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) May 22, 2026
The cold interaction at the end of the night was the boiling point of a highly volatile, match-long psychological battle between the two cricketers.
During the 3rd over of RCB’s field time, Kohli targeted Head with relentless verbal banter and animated gestures. Kohli explicitly pointed at Head, mocking him with the “Impact Player” gesture and mockingly challenging the Australian – who rarely bowls – to come into the attack and bowl some off-spin.
When Head was eventually cleaned up for 26 off 16 balls by RCB bowler Rasikh Salam Dar, Kohli uncorked an extraordinarily aggressive, roaring celebration to send the opener back to the dugout.
In a dramatic twist during RCB’s steep chase, SRH actually threw the ball to Travis Head to bowl the penultimate over. Head answered the call perfectly, taking the massive wicket of a well-set Rajat Patidar (56 off 39 balls) to entirely break RCB’s resistance.
