2 min readUpdated: May 26, 2026 01:05 PM IST
Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar has raised an unusual warning for the defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru ahead of their Qualifier 1 match against the Gujarat Titans at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala on Tuesday. According to Manjrekar, RCB could be in for some trouble if their star batter and senior opener Virat Kohli tends to shoulder excessive responsibility in high-pressure matches all by himself.
While Kohli has been in top scoring form through another reason with his scoring rates up in the 160s, RCB are entering the Playoffs match on the back of a 55-run defeat to the SunRisers Hyderabad. There is also uncertainty looming over Kohli’s opening partner in the contest, with Jacob Bethell ruled out of the tournament and availability of fellow Englishman Phil Salt still hanging under a cloud.
Manjrekar urged that RCB should be able to stick to the template where Kohli will not assume the anchor’s role with a sacrifice on the strike rate to play a longer innings.
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“The approach of RCB must remain the same. Virat Kohli is a key player, but everything does not hinge on him, that is how they have become such a good team. It is important for Virat to keep playing in the same fashion, because he has a tendency in the final stages to take too much of the onus on himself, and if he does that, that is dangerous territory for RCB to be in. So, I think they should keep the same template,” Manjrekar said in a Sportstar podcast.
Kohli’s IPL 2026 season and Playoffs record
In 14 innings, Kohli has aggregated 557 runs at 50.63 with a century and four half-centuries. The 37-year-old’s strike rate stands at 163.82 – his highest across any edition of the IPL since 2008.
While he enjoys a supreme record against the Titans in particular – averaging 76.66 and SR of 152.31 – the former RCB captain’s overall Playoffs batting record is a tad underwhelming, averaging 26.4 with a sub-par 121.1 strike rate across 17 games.
Kohli in IPL Playoffs
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- Innings played: 17
- Runs scored: 396
- Strike rate: 121.1
- Average: 26.4
- 50s: 2
- Highest score: 70*
