Coming off a match-winning half-century against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) opener Virat Kohli found it tough to get off the block against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the much-awaited RCB vs CSK clash on Sunday evening at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.
But once Kohli got the hang of the conditions, he displayed an array of shots in his brief but impactful stay of 28 (18).
After losing two tosses – and both matches – CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad got the rub of the green as he won a crucial toss at the chase-friendly Chinnaswamy Stadium. Expectedly, Gaikwad, upon calling the right side of the coin, elected to bowl first.
RCB got off to a kind of start perhaps never seen at the Chinnaswamy Stadium: RCB opener Virat Kohli and Phil Salt both failed to hit a single boundary in the first three overs. Khaleel Ahmed and Matt Henry kept things tight as RCB managed 17/0 in three overs. This phase also included Kohli getting a lifeline from Shivam Dube, who dropped a sitter running back from mid-on.
Soon after, Kohli managed to break his shackles as he smoked Henry for a huge, eye-catching six over mid-wicket. What made it a delight for the fans was Kohli hitting this six without looking at the ball once he connected it with his supreme timing.
It was a length ball on the off-stump from Henry that Kohli judged perfectly and sweetly timed his shovel on the leg side. The ball made a pleasant sound off the bat and flew over the legside fence, settling deep into the dancing fans.
As Kohli connected with the ball, he didn’t even bother looking at it flying, for he knew he’d timed the bones out of it, and the only place it was landing was beyond the boundary line.
[Watch] Virat Kohli Rolls Back The Clock With A No-Look Six Off Matt Henry In RCB vs CSK Clash
Kohli then creamed a four off each of Henry and Anshul Kamboj but was dismissed by the latter, incidentally Dube taking a straightforward catch at mid-wicket.
Post Kohli’s fall, Salt took on the mantle of boundary-hitting and had raced to 45* off 27 at the time of writing, though Devdutt Padikkal had struggled at the other end, batting on 16* (15). At the end of the 10th over, RCB are 91/1.
Meanwhile, MS Dhoni, Dewald Brevis, and Josh Hazlewood continue to miss matches in IPL 2026 as all of them are nursing their respective injuries.
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