Ahead of the opening day of the opening match of IPL 2026, where Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) will play as the defending champions for the first time in the league history. Ahead of his first training session at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Virat Kohli had some words of wisdom to motivate his teammates.
RCB won their first IPL title of 2025, breaking the 18-year-old bond. Rajat Patidar was the leader, but Virat Kohli was the main cog of the team. This great batsman was also chosen man of the match in the final against Punjab Kings. When another season of the Indian Premier League begins, all eyes will once again be on Virat Kohli and RCB.
RCB shares an official video ahead of the opening match of IPL 2026, with Virat Kohli at the center
The franchise shared an official video from its social media platforms to showcase the words of wisdom from the former captains. Virat Kohli asked everyone to work hard as the upcoming season is going to be more challenging.
The star batsman had already predicted that all the teams will face them with full strength, as they are the defending champions. Virat Kohli demanded more than 100 per cent from each member of the team to defend their title.
“We’ve worked really hard over the last two to three seasons to achieve what we achieved last year, and it’s only going to get harder as other teams challenge us harder. We don’t waste these days.”
“We stay ahead. So, switch on now. Don’t waste even a minute of whatever session we are a part of. We have to give our 120% for these two and a half months. I can see from everyone’s faces that we are very excited for the challenge,” Virat Kohli said in the video.
𝑫𝒂𝒚 1⃣. 𝑾𝒐𝒓𝒌 𝒎𝒐𝒅𝒆 𝔛.
Head coach Andy Flower welcomed the new members of the team and gave a pep talk from Virat in the first practice session. #IPL2026 In Chinnaswamy.
See further @bigbasket_com RCB presents Bold Diaries. #playbold #নমমRCB pic.twitter.com/ee8mPnIgWb
– Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) 20 March 2026
Andy Flower looked happy with the team
Meanwhile, Royal Challengers Bangalore head coach Andy Flower looked happy with the squad with some new players. The former Zimbabwe batsman expressed happiness over the mix of experienced and new players.
“We had an interesting auction. To be honest, I think we have improved our team. We have brought in some great new players. So, integrating those new players into RCB with some established players, obviously led by Virat and Rajat, is an exciting part of building a new team,” Andy Flower said in the video.
We’ve really got a star – Andy Flower
“If there is any difference this year, it is actually that we have a star on our shirt. So it is a matter of great pride for all RCB people. However, one thing I would like to emphasize is that the season has gone on and now we have a new challenge in front of us, and it is a really exciting challenge. We are here to win this year’s IPL”, he said.
As the winners of IPL 2025, the Red and Black team will play the opening match of the upcoming season. IPL 2026 will begin from March 28 with the much-awaited match between RCB and Sunrisers Hyderabad at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.
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