Virat Kohli‘s leap after Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s last-ball win over Mumbai Indians on Sunday showed how much the result mattered for the defending IPL champions. RCB are currently on top of the points table and one more win in their remaining three matches will ensure a playoff entry. Chasing a 167-run target, RCB stumbled a few times before reaching the target on the last ball. After the top order failed to fire, with the likes of Kohli (0), Devdutt Padikkal (12) and Rajat Patidar (8), Krunal Pandya (73) played a heroic knock before Bhuvneshwar Kumarwho had taken four wickets earlier, scored crucial runs in the last over.
Kohli, who has only played for RCB in the IPL, was naturally ecstatic.
“Hey guys, I’m gonna keep it short. I’m gonna wrap it up tonight. Thanks, Andy (Flower), for giving me a chance to do something in the game today,” Kohli said.
“But guys, look, if you want to win multi-team competitions, we need a team. We need a game like that. We need to scrap for a win. We need to fight hard. And we know the feeling in the group. We’re just talking about the game, how we started off again. Bhuvi, brilliant in the Powerplay. Your execution, your skills, you are absolutely world-class. I think it was the sixth three-wicket haul of the season – 11 games, which is crazy.”
Bhuvneshwar, who is the current top wicket-taker in IPL 2026 with 21 scalps, said: “The good thing is that whatever I’m doing or trying to do, it’s happening. And I think it’s all about confidence. When you start the IPL, you go through a couple of good matches, then your confidence goes up. And I think, yes, I don’t want to change it, but whatever I’m trying to do, it’s happening. My execution is spot on, getting wickets and, of course, getting help from fielders to catch those crucial chances. So yes, I mean things work out.”
Kohli also praised other RCB bowlers. “Shef (Romario Shepherd), the way you bowled tonight was top-notch, and you showed us what you can do when you feel confident with the ball in hand and you can hit your areas. You have the skill, and we all back you to execute your skills every time. So well done on that,” he said.
“KP (Krunal), always can bank on you under pressure or any kind of situation. Again, brilliant with the ball. Suyash (Sharma) did his job as well. Rasikh (Salam Dar) was great too,” he added.
“With the bat, we didn’t get off to the best start. We know that. But like the last game, we’ve had two games where we haven’t had the best starts, but last game, Rajat stepped up along with KP contributing. TD (Tim David) made an impact in the last game. This game around again, he stuck in and got us an important partnership with KP. So that contribution was crucial for us to chase the score down. So well done,” Kohli said.
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