NEW DELHI: It was a night of dominance, emotion and a touch of romance as Virat Kohli lit up the IPL 2026 opener — both with the bat and a heartwarming gesture towards wife Anushka Sharma.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!After steering Royal Challengers Bengaluru to a commanding six-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad, Kohli turned towards the stands and blew a flying kiss to Anushka. The Bollywood star, seated alongside RCB Women’s players including captain Smriti Mandhana, responded with her own flying kiss and a smile as the crowd erupted in cheers.
The brief exchange quickly went viral, becoming one of the defining images of the season opener and adding a personal touch to an already electric evening at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.WATCH:
Kohli, Padikkal power RCB’s clinical chase
Kohli showcased his enduring class with an unbeaten 69 off 38 balls, laced with five fours and five sixes, as RCB chased down a daunting 202 in just 15.4 overs.Reflecting on his return to T20 cricket after a long break, Kohli said, “Whenever I come back to play, it’s 120 percent. I’m not coming back underprepared, in fact, the extra rest helps me mentally freshen up.”He added, “You don’t want to just hold on to a spot; you want to keep performing and keep putting in the work for the team.”Impact substitute Devdutt Padikkal set the tone with a blistering 61 off 26 balls, while Rajat Patidar chipped in with a quickfire 31, ensuring the chase was wrapped up with ease.Kishan shines but SRH fall shortPut into bat, SRH rode on a sparkling 80 from stand-in skipper Ishan Kishan and a late flourish from Aniket Verma (43 off 18) to post 201/9.Despite a strong total, their bowling attack struggled to contain RCB’s aggressive batting. “We’ll be a little more cautious with the bowling… we might be stronger from the next game,” Kishan admitted after the match.RCB’s win also came on an emotional night, with players wearing black armbands and observing a minute’s silence in memory of fans lost in last year’s tragic stampede.
