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The way Virat Kohli chased the target in the IPL 2026 final would not have been possible without a foolproof blueprint in his mind. Venkatesh Iyer, who played the match as an opening batsman, played a vital role during the run chase against Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad.
Weeks after the much-talked-about final of IPL 2026, Venkatesh Iyer revealed what Virat Kohli told him before his batting. Kohli planned to snatch the momentum from the opponents at the beginning of the innings during the powerplay.
Venkatesh Iyer’s explosive innings gives RCB lead over Gujarat Titans
With Venkatesh Iyer at the top of the batting order, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) got off to a great start while chasing the target of 156 runs. While Kohli led the innings, Iyer showed a explosive cameo, scoring 32 runs in 16 balls at a strike rate of 200.00.
Venkatesh Iyer’s explosive innings helped RCB reduce the asking rate and set the stage for the run chase. As Virat Kohli remained at the crease throughout the run chase, RCB never looked out of position despite losing several middle-order batsmen. Later, impressive innings from Tim David and Jitesh Sharma helped the great batsman win the final with 5 wickets and 12 balls to spare.
Iyer reveals what Virat Kohli told him before the run chase
During a recent conversation with 2 Sluggers, Venkatesh Iyer said that before the run chase, Virat Kohli had only one message for him: kill the game in the powerplay.
Virat told Iyer during the innings break, “I have to finish this match in the powerplay.”
Before setting out to chase the target in the IPL final, Virat had only one message for Venky in the urinal: You have to finish this match in the powerplay.. pic.twitter.com/OUUbrYuLCU
– Kohlistic (@Kohlistic18) June 30, 2026
RCB went for almost 18 years without winning a single trophy. Nevertheless, throughout the tour, they had a loyal fan base. Iyer said that the fans who have stuck with the team through ups and downs deserve all the celebration.
RCB broke their trophy streak in 2025, and in 2026, they claimed the title again for the second consecutive season behind Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings; Royal Challengers Bangalore is the third team to successfully defend their title.
Venkatesh Iyer said, “RCB fans have endured a lot of negativity and trolling for 18 years; this is the result of that.”
Phil Salt’s injury opens doors for Iyer
The injury to England international opening batsman Phil Salt opened the door for Venkatesh Iyer. For most of the group stage of the IPL 2026 season, the versatile batting all-rounder remained sitting on the bench. Later, in order to establish the strongest possible playing combination without Phil Salt, the team management included the Indian batsman in the line-up, which surprisingly worked in their favour.
The 31-year-old player scored 209 runs in 6 innings with a batting average of 52.25 and became one of the famous cricketers among RCB fans. Iyer says that wherever he went to play after the final, the fans supported him with slogans of ‘RCB, RCB’.
“I went to Patna to play Ranji Trophy and the fans at the boundary line were chanting ‘RCB! RCB’. It was the same in Delhi. The same happened in Coimbatore, which doesn’t have a single international cricket stadium,” he said.
