Virat Kohli is one of the best batters in cricket in the world, and he is now being called a Grand Master after leading RCB to a six-wicket win over SRH in IPL 2026. He scored an unbeaten fifty at the  M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday, March 28.

RCB reached the target of 202 runs in 15.4 overs. Kohli faced 38 balls to amass 69 runs, laced with 5 fours and 5 sixes.

Former India bowler Zaheer Khan said that Kohli’s consistency allows others to play with intent.

According to him, the other RCB batters can play aggressively, knowing the fact that Virat is present at the other end.

“I think, and RCB and Virat will be happy for winning the game and batting through the chase. Kohli scored his runs at a strike rate of 180, while others batted at a 220-250 strike rate. It shows RCB’s batting strength. The players around him can bat with freedom because they know Virat will score a fifty at a good scoring rate. This allows the batters to attack freely,” Zaheer Khan said.

“Devdutt Padikkal has shown his class. He didn’t let the momentum drop in the middle overs. It gives us the idea of the brand of cricket RCB are trying to play. Virat is a key player for RCB,” he concluded.

Murali Kartik agreed with Zaheer’s comments and said that it is not easy to be consistent like Kohli during chasing runs in the Indian Premier League.

The right-handed batter has accumulated over 4000 runs in IPL while chasing. In his last 33 IPL innings, Kohli has smashed 16 fifty-plus scores.

Kartik called Kohli a Grand Master, comparing him to chess players, who are able to think about moves even before competing against their rivals.

“Virat Kohli is a Grand Master in chasing. He is leading the team to wins. He knows when to attack and when to defend. He has been doing it for years. Teams are planning against him, but they haven’t been successful. He is sharp, and they can’t control him,” Murali Kartik said.

RCB have started their campaign on a positive note, dominating Sunrisers Hyderabad across departments.