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Former India and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) batsman Wasim Jaffer criticized his former teammate Virat Kohli for avoiding the customary post-match handshake with Sunrisers Hyderabad batsman Travis Head.
On Friday, SRH defeated RCB by 55 runs in their IPL 2026 clash but could not secure a place in the top two of the points table due to poor net run rate. The controversy erupted on Friday during RCB’s chase of 255 runs.
Virat Kohli and Travis Head controversy
When Virat Kohli was batting, some conversations were seen between him and Travis Head at the beginning of the innings. Kohli was also heard challenging Travis Head to bowl and mocking him with the impact player’s gesture
Their war of words continued till the fourth over when Venkatesh Iyer scored 23 runs off the bowling of left-arm wrist spinner Shivang Kumar. When Kohli became the victim of Saqib Hussain in the sixth over of the innings, it seemed that Travis Head had some more words for him.
See how Travis Head went to shake hands with Virat Kohli, but Kohli did not shake hands with him back. Seriously, what happened between them?
I have always seen both of them sharing a good bond in international cricket and even during IPL. pic.twitter.com/lTrCYyIL20
– Sonu (@cricket_live247) 23 May 2026
At the end of the match, Kohli was seen angry in the dugout, possibly over his dispute with Head. After the match, Kohli shook hands with most members of the Sunrisers team, but notably ignored the Australian.
“He’s too big a player to do that” – Jaffer
Jaffer commented on his YouTube channel that Virat Kohli should have been mindful not only about the opponents but also about his stature as a great player of the game and what effect his actions would have on those watching.
“We don’t know what happened. The Australians go after you and are very tough on the field. They work hard and keep harassing you. But people know you don’t have to trigger Virat. I don’t know what happened, but at least they should have shaken hands. This thing should have ended on the field. Then you have to shake hands and move on. You should not continue this.”
He said, “Kohli is an ambassador of the game. Everyone looks up to him. So all his steps should be like that, because he is a role model for millions of people. It was not right. I think he will consider it. We don’t know what has happened, but from outside it looks like you should move on. He is too big a player to do that.”
Also Read: Virat Kohli fans give ‘Naveen-ul-Haq’ treatment to Travis Head after handshake controversy in IPL 2026
Next match between Virat Kohli and RCB
Kohli’s RC by securing top position in the points table Gujarat will face Titans in the first qualifier. This match will be held on 26th May at HPCA Stadium, Dharamshala.
The winner will get a direct entry to the final to be held at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on May 31, with the loser getting another chance to qualify for the final in the second qualifier. Qualifier 2 will be held in Maharaja Yadvendra Singh International Cricket Stadium In Mullanpur on 29th May.
Sunrisers Hyderabad finished third and will play the eliminator on May 27 in Mullanpur. SRH do not know their opponents for that encounter yet. The winner of the Eliminator will face the loser of Qualifier 1 in Qualifier 2. After this the IPL final will be between the winner of Qualifier 1 and Qualifier 2.
