Laughter burst out of Virat Kohli when Danish Sait teased him about joining RCB as their fifth overseas pick for IPL 2026. The joke landed because he’s been spotted often in London lately, hanging around with his kids and wife. Fans have already started sharing the moment online, chuckling at how long he's stayed abroad. Kohli didn’t mind one bit, instead grinning through the whole back-and-forth. Even though it poked fun at his absence from India, he rolled with it like an old pro.

A sudden laugh came when Sait, playing his well-known character Mr Nags, brought up the internet joke while talking to Virat Kohli. Not one to miss a beat, Kohli grinned, claimed confusion on purpose, then tossed it back by saying maybe the foreign athletes could answer better. With eyes wide, he looked at Sait and questioned, “Am I an overseas player?” Then, mid-sentence, both burst out laughing just as the host waved off the thought.

Virat Kohli backs banter with brilliant start to IPL 2026

Fans noticed the jokes first, yet Virat Kohli’s latest spotlight moment comes from what he did with the bat. Batting at number one for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, his start to IPL 2026 carries that familiar weight, calm, sharp, relentless. Year after year, match after match, he lines up next to the stumps and delivers as few others dare.

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Off the mark, Virat Kohli delivered under pressure when RCB faced Sunrisers Hyderabad. With 202 on the board, the task looked steep early. Yet, inside M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, his bat found rhythm fast. Not once did he slow down, racing to 69 not out from only 38 balls. Five boundaries flew through gaps, followed by five towering hits into the crowd. That fire lit up the scoreboard quickly. In just 15.4 overs, the total fell, making it the quickest time ever taken to chase such a high score in IPL play.

A sharp knock pushed Kohli into rare territory. Beyond Shoaib Malik now stands his total of T20 runs among Asian players. Chasing targets brought him a fresh record; only one man has touched 4,000 IPL runs when hunting victories.

Early in the season, form clicks into place. Confidence rises alongside clean records piling up. Kohli eyes a fresh target ahead - crossing 9,000 runs in IPL matches. This chase sharpens his standing among the game’s lasting names.