IPL: Virat Kohli hits rapid 29, Tim David, Venkatesh Iyer bat well in RCB practice
Virat Kohli, Jitesh Sharma, Tim David, and Venkatesh Iyer were on song in Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s first practice game at the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Sunday, March 22. Divided into two teams, captained by Krunal Pandya and Venkatesh Iyer, the batters had a good outing as they participated in a friendly game ahead of RCB’s opener against Sunrisers Hyderabad on March 28.
The defending champions will play the opening match of the Indian Premier League 2026 season, hoping to begin their title defence on a positive note. The members of the squad have assembled in Bengaluru and have already begun their preparations in full flow.
RCB posted a video of their practice session on social media on Monday morning, capturing key moments from the game. In the video, all-rounder Krunal Pandya shared his takeaways, stating that several batters in the team looked in great touch on Sunday.
“It was a good practice game. Everyone had a good hit. Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowled really well, Abhinandan (Singh) bowled really well, Mangesh (Yadav) bowled really well. Among the batters, Jitesh played really well — some of his shots were amazing. Tim David played really well. Venkatesh and Virat batted well. The intent shown and some of the shots from Virat were amazing today. He is looking good, which is a great sign for us,” Krunal Pandya said.
JITESH SHARMA STANDOUT IN RCB PRACTICE
Jitesh Sharma was the standout batter, smashing 81 runs off just 37 balls. He is expected to shoulder the finisher’s role once again and will be hoping for a stronger campaign with the bat this season.
Alongside Jitesh, Australian Tim David (36 off 14) and Venkatesh Iyer (30 off 16) also impressed with the bat. RCB are still working on finding the right role for the Indian all-rounder, who has the ability to play a dynamic role in any T20 setup.
Krunal added that one of the highlights of the day was Virat Kohli’s quickfire 29 off 12 balls, where the RCB opener looked in good rhythm from the outset. RCB will be hoping for yet another strong campaign from their talisman as they aim to prove that last season’s title win was no fluke.
RCB beat Punjab Kings in a one-sided final in IPL 2025. They will open their campaign at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday, playing their first two games at home before travelling to face Rajasthan Royals and Mumbai Indians in Guwahati and Mumbai respectively.
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