Virat Kohli took over the Orange Cap once again after his superb 44-ball 81 guided Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to victory over Gujarat Titans (GT) in their IPL 2026 clash on Friday. While Kohli’s consistency can never be questioned, what has stood out this year is the aggression in his batting. Presently, Kohli’s strike-rate in IPL 2026 stands at 163.18; if he carries on in the same vein, he will end with his highest season strike-rate. Former India cricketer and reputed commentator Sanjay Manjrekar stated that Kohli’s success has come due to him being able to trust the rest of RCB’s batting, and as a result play more freely himself.
“Virat Kohli has stopped believing that he’s the one batter who’s got to do it for RCB. He’s taken a little bit of a backseat and delegated,” Manjrekar said, speaking to Sportstar.
Manjrekar explained his view by pointing out how RCB’s current middle-order batters have contributed more, in contrast to older seasons.
“Earlier, when AB de Villiers and Virat were the two big batters (at RCB), by accident or by design, Virat would consume a lot of balls per innings,” Manjrekar said.
“Now, at RCB, people like a Devdutt Padikkal, a Rajat Patidar, a Tim David – a lot of useful contributions are coming from down the order, because they’re getting the opportunity to come in and spend some time in the middle,” he added.
The numbers back up Manjrekar’s claims. At the halfway point of RCB’s IPL 2026 league campaign, Rajat Patidar (238) and Devdutt Padikkal (208) have made more than 200 runs in seven matches, while Tim David has made 183 at an average of 91.50.
Manjrekar elaborated that RCB’s success could be down to Kohli’s shift in approach.
“I’d like to believe that RCB won the title and are looking really good this season because someone like Virat, who bats at the top of the order, is just not putting as huge a price on his wicket and has started trusting the batters to come a little more,” he said.
Having secured their first IPL title in 2025, RCB look primed to make the playoffs again in 2026, sitting second in the points table after seven games, with five wins.
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