Virat Kohli begins his preparations for IPL
The 19th edition of the tournament will begin from March 28
Dubai: Indian star cricketer Virat Kohli has begun preparations for the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL), which is scheduled to start on March 28.
The 37-year-old former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) captain recently shared a video of him training ahead of the tournament’s 19th edition.
Kohli is expected to join the squad in Bengaluru around March 15, though his participation in the tournament is yet to be confirmed.
The franchise will play five league matches at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium this season, including the tournament’s opening fixture. The confirmation of the venue ended months of uncertainty about whether the iconic ground would be cleared in time for the season, bringing relief to fans in Bengaluru.
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Kohli remains one of the greatest players in IPL history, having scored 8,661 runs in 267 matches and 259 innings. The former Indian captain boasts a strike rate of 132.85 and an average of 39.54, along with eight centuries and 63 half-centuries in the competition.
During the 2025 season, the veteran scored 657 runs in 15 matches at an average of 54.75, playing a key role in RCB securing their first IPL title. With a strike rate of 144.71, Kohli also registered eight half-centuries in the campaign.
On March 8, broadcaster Star Sports confirmed that the 2026 IPL season will officially begin on March 28, and part of the schedule will be announced in a few days. RCB will enter the tournament as defending champions after winning their maiden title in 2025.
Earlier this month, Santosh Menon, secretary of the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), confirmed that five of RCB’s IPL 2026 home matches will be held at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. He also revealed that one of the tournament’s playoff matches and the IPL 2026 final will be staged at the Bengaluru venue.
RCB will also use the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium in Raipur as a second home venue, hosting two league matches there.
Cricket at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium has been suspended since June last year following a stampede during RCB’s IPL 2025 title celebrations that resulted in 11 deaths and several injuries. The venue subsequently did not host matches during the T20 World Cup or the Women’s Cricket World Cup, and the suspension also disrupted domestic and state franchise competitions.
