Indian legend Virat Kohli was seen bowling to his opening partner Phil Salt in the RCB nets as they prepare for the opening game of IPL 2026 between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Royal Challengers Bangalore won their first title in the IPL in 2025 under the captaincy of Rajat Patidar. He became one of the few captains to win the title on his debut as captain of the team.
RCB will still retain their dynamic opening pair of Virat Kohli and Phil Salt. Another Englishman, Jacob Bethell, is likely to be placed next in the batting order.
Virat Kohli seen bowling in the RCB nets ahead of IPL 2026
Virat Kohli is practicing bowling before IPL 2026. pic.twitter.com/5zTepZyG4y
– Praveen Kumar (@Naninaidu98) 25 March 2026
Legendary Indian batsman Virat Kohli was seen bowling to fellow opener Phil Salt in the nets ahead of RCB’s opening match against Sunrisers Hyderabad at his home ground M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. The first match will be played on Saturday 28 March.
This video has gone viral on social media platforms. Virat Kohli will return to action in the IPL after playing the ODI series against New Zealand for the last time for India. He, along with Phil Salt, played a big role in helping RCB win its first IPL title in 2026.
The experienced duo will return in the same role for Royal Challengers Bangalore. Kohli has been their consistent top-scorer in the last three seasons, while Salt has also scored 403 runs in 13 matches for the team at a strike rate of 175.
Phil Salt and Kohli’s dynamic partnership for RCB
Virat Kohli and Phil Salt provided a fast start, with Phil Salt playing the attacking role while Virat primarily led the innings. Kohli and Salt together scored 565 runs in more than 13 innings.
His best partnerships came against opponents like Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals. The first such partnership was a 95-run partnership for the first wicket between the two batsmen while chasing the target of 175 runs.
Another brilliant performance came against the Royals in Jaipur, where Kohli and Salt put on a 92-run partnership in an impressive 9-wicket win. Both Kohli and Salt scored half-centuries in two matches.
Mo Bobt downplays Phil Salt’s lack of form
Royal Challengers Bangalore director of cricket Mo Bobat has dismissed concerns over Phil Salt’s poor form despite a poor performance for England in the ICC T20 World Cup. He will play for RCB on the same tracks.
Phil Salt entered the T20 World Cup 2026 as the second-ranked batsman in the ICC T20I rankings. Salt played in eight matches for England, but managed only 130 runs at a disappointing average of 16.25.
“A player like Phil Salt is still ranked among the top, not recent, but top two or three T20 batsmen in the world. So there’s a lot of depth of confidence there. He really enjoys being with RCB, his partnership with Virat,” Bobat said.
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