Virat Kohli delivered an emotional dressing-room speech after RCB’s dramatic win over Mumbai Indians, praising Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and the team’s fighting spirit despite his own golden duck.
Virat Kohli addressed the Royal Challengers Bengaluru dressing room after their thrilling final-ball two-wicket victory over Mumbai Indians in IPL 2026. Despite getting dismissed for a golden duck, Kohli highlighted the team’s resilience and collective effort in chasing down the tense target.
“Hey guys, I’m gonna keep it short. I’m gonna wrap it up tonight. Thanks, Andy (Flower), for giving me a chance to do something in the game today,” Kohli joked.
“But guys, look, if you want to win multi-team competitions, we need a team. We need a game like that. We need to scrap for a win. We need to fight hard.”
Kohli specifically applauded Bhuvneshwar Kumar for his impact with the ball during the powerplay.
“And we know the feeling in the group. We’re just talking about the game, how we started off, I think again. Bhuvi, brilliant in the Power Play Movie or your execution, your skills, you are absolutely world-class. I think it was a sixth three-wicket haul of the season, 11 games, which is crazy,” kohli added.
Krunal Pandya’s Heroics Leave Kohli And Bhuvneshwar Impressed
Kohli also praised Romario Shepherd, Suyash Sharma and Rasikh Salam for stepping up in pressure moments.
“Shefi (Romario Shepherd), the way you bowl tonight, what stop notch and you showed us what you can do when you feel confident with the ball in hand and you can hit your areas. You have the skill, and we all back you to execute your skills every time. So well done on that.”
“KP (Krunal), always can bank on you under pressure or any kind of situation. Again, brilliant with the balls. Suyash (Sharma) did his job as well. Rasikh (Salam Dar) was great too,” he added.
The former RCB skipper then reflected on the batting effort after the side suffered another poor start.
“With the bat, we didn’t get off to the best start. We know that. But like the last game, we’ve had two games where we haven’t had the best starts, but last game, Rajat stepped up, along with KP contributing. TD (Tim David) made, you know, I mean, impact in the last game, this game around again, stuck in got us an important partnership with KP. So that contribution was crucial for us to change the score down. So well done,” Kohli said.
Kohli especially reserved high praise for Krunal Pandya and his match-winning innings under pressure.
“I think it’s the best ideal knock. So far from what I’ve seen, we’ve played a lot of knocks under pressure, but I think tonight was special. We’re struggling with bouncing balls hitting you. You know, keeping low, bouncing up, but you never made an excuse. You just showed us how to grind, how to stay in there, find a solution, find a way. And even when you were cramping, those two sixes were actually the difference in the game, where you could have easily said, I can’t carry on, but, you know, you found the strength to carry on for the future. We can take a lot of inspiration from that,” Kohli added.
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Bhuvneshwar himself also acknowledged Krunal’s effort while praising his ability to pace the innings smartly.
“I think it was, it was amazing. It was match-winning, of course, the way he was cramping, but still getting things sixes, and more than anything, success. What was very nice to see is that he played the situation. He took few balls, he picked his bowlers, and of course, the way he betted with Bethel, the way they talked, we can literally sense from outside that they have some purpose. They bet it few hours, and then they went in the last few hours. So yes, it was amazing to see,” he said.
Kohli Hails Bhuvneshwar’s Six Before Turning Attention To KKR Clash
Kohli later pointed to one unexpected moment that changed the game completely.
“The most important moment in the game was Mr Bhubaneswar David’s six.”
Krunal also agreed with Kohli’s assessment and called the shot the turning point of the chase.
“Honestly, the six which we hit was the best shot of the game, hands down. And on the icing on the cake is the situation. What, what we were in, right? We needed three ball eight, and Bhuvi went there. I mean, we all know how great Bhuvi is with the ball, but today we saw how amazing he is with the bat also, right? So I guess that six gave us the coupon, I’ll say so that was amazing,” he said.
Bhuvneshwar also reflected on the importance of the shot in helping the team secure victory.
“You know, being a bowler, when you do something like this, it was just one six. But I enjoyed that most, and that helped in the winning course. So it was more memorable for me. For sure,” Bhuvneshwar said in reply.
The veteran pacer also opened up on his own bowling form and confidence during IPL 2026.
“The good thing is that whatever I’m doing or trying to do it, it’s happening. And I think it’s all about confidence. When you start IPL, you go through a couple of good matches, then your confidence goes up. And I think, yes, I don’t want to change it, but whatever I’m trying to do, it’s happening. It’s execution is spot on, getting wickets and, of course, getting help from fielders to catch those crucial touches. So yes, I mean things work out.”
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Kohli finally shifted focus towards RCB’s upcoming clash against Kolkata Knight Riders at the same venue on May 13.
“We had no right to lose five hours to go, we had no right to win, and then we ended up winning. So I think this wins gonna boost our confidence, and then we come back in what two days, three days time, and we hunt those two points again, on to the next one boys,” he signed off.
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