IPL 2026: Dinesh Karthik hails 'class of Virat' after RCB practice game

Royal Challengers Bengaluru's Dinesh Karthik lauded Virat Kohli after his 19-ball 45 in a practice match for IPL 2026. Karthik praised Kohli's class, intent, and his drive to constantly improve, highlighting his energy and influence.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) mentor and batting coach, Dinesh Karthik, hailed Virat Kohli after the batter scored a 19-ball 45 in the team's second intra-squad practice game ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season.

'The Greatness About Virat'

Speaking after RCB's second practice game on Wednesday, Dinesh Karthik praised Virat Kohli for his strong performance in the warm-up match, highlighting his consistency, evolving game plan, and relentless drive to improve. He also emphasised Kohli's energy and influence both on the field and within the team environment. "Good game today. The class of Virat came through quite nicely up front, played some lovely shots. The greatness about Virat is every year he comes up with a certain plan, a certain intent. He saw how he's really upped what he wants to do. I feel this year he'll try and get even better. That tells a lot about the person that he is. He's always trying to push his boundaries. And also what he brings in terms of energy to the crowd, to the meetings. Those are all big things and that's a big part of Virat's personality as well," Karthik said in a video posted by RCB on social media.

First Intra-Squad Match Highlights

RCB held their first intra-squad warm-up match on Monday. In that match, wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma scored a 37-ball 81, skipper Rajat Patidar got a blazing 25-ball 74, while Kohli played a quick 12-ball 29-run cameo.

Batting first, the team led by Venkatesh Iyer posted 234/7, with Jitesh (81 in 37 balls), Tim David (36 in 14 balls), Iyer (30 in 16 balls) and Virat (29 in 12 balls) dominating the scorecard. In their 20 overs, the other team, led by Krunal, fired 247 runs, with Rajat (74 in 25 balls), Padikkal (63 in 33 balls) and Krunal (58 in 33 balls) delivering standout performances.

RCB's IPL 2026 Opener

RCB will kickstart their IPL 2026 campaign against Sunrisers Hyderabad at home in Bengaluru on March 28. (ANI)

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