We have a tremendous batting lineup – Virat Kohli opened up on RCB’s immense batting depth
Virat Kohli delivered an impeccable performance with the bat, smashing 81 off just 44 balls to lead RCB to a comprehensive win against the Gujarat Titans. With his match-winning knock, Kohli moved to the top of the scoring charts, claiming the Orange Cap as he leapfrogged Abhishek Sharma.
Kohli’s overall tally of 328 runs now push him beyond Sharma’s 323. He also rocked his 800th boundary in IPL history, another feat that would need some catching to do. After last night’s innings, Kohli moved to 807 fours, a milestone that sits well ahead of Shikhar Dhawan who still remains to be the closest pursuer with 768 fours.
Talking at the post-match presentation, Kohli was all about the team. He highlighted how the RCB unit's depth makes batting easy. He also explained how Krunal Pandya’s late charge under the cosh also imparts an additional edge to RCB’s already hallowed unit. He had a message for all the fans who made Chinnaswamy a very special place to play in as RCB had their last home game in Bengaluru in the group stages of IPL 2026.
Shedding light on RCB’s team performance, Kohli said, “Look, I mean, the body language comes from, a belief that you have in your abilities, and to be honest, we have a tremendous batting lineup. If you look at the talent on display, we have guys who can hit good cricketing shots and hurt bowlers. Then we have the power of Tim David and Romario, and then you have the cricket smarts of Krunal, who can come in under pressure and, play a knock like that and, really understands the game.”
Adding further, Kohli said, “You can see it in his bowling as well, so I think the combination we have is something that gives us a lot of confidence to go out there and play like that, and yeah, the message in the group is simple. If you see a ball to hit, you back yourself, go for it, because we have the batting depth and we have the confidence in the group as well.”
He concluded with a message for the home fans, Kohli stated, “Yeah, brilliant. I mean, firstly, we're quite happy that we were able to, play five games here. The fans get to see the team again, and yeah, it's just a special place to play cricket, and hopefully at the later stages of the tournament, we can come back here and, entertain the crowd once more. So, yeah, let's see what happens, but yeah, it's been brilliant to play at home and win, what, four out of five that we've won here, so it's been a great start."
