Virat Kohli has started IPL 2026 in strong touch, and the next chapter of rr vs rcb will send him straight at one bowler who has repeatedly found a way through him. Kohli is set to face Sandeep Sharma in the upcoming clash, with the Rajasthan seamer having dismissed him seven times in IPL matches.
The matchup has become the kind that can shape a game before the first over is finished. Kohli has scored 132 runs against Sharma at a strike rate of 150, and Irfan Pathan said that recent number tells a different story from the older one. Kohli looks sharp at the top of the order, has not hesitated to step out, and has been willing to take the aerial route when needed, all of which suggests he may be ready for the challenge that Sharma has posed for years.
Pathan put the contest in plain terms. “Look, Sandeep Sharma has dismissed Virat Kohli seven times. I had said against Mumbai that Sandeep Sharma should be brought in against Rohit Sharma, and Sandeep did get Rohit Sharma out. Now the concern is that Rohit Sharma’s strike rate against Sandeep stays around 100, but Virat Kohli’s strike rate against him in recent times has gone up to around 150,” he said.
That comparison matters because Sharma has already been on the mark in the latest run of fixtures. In the rain-affected clash in Guwahati, Rohit Sharma was dismissed by him for the sixth time, a reminder that the seamer’s method can still bite even when conditions are messy. Pathan also said Sharma has used a slower delivery on the very first ball in all three recent matches, a small detail that can turn into a pattern once batters have enough tape to study.
That is where the tension sits in this rr vs rcb contest. Pathan suggested Kohli may be able to solve it because he has become more proactive at the crease. “He steps out, tries to put pressure on the bowler, and it feels like Sandeep Sharma’s peak is now behind him. These days he looks a bit more defensive, trying to find ways to survive. He has always been a smart bowler, but a pattern has been noticed. In all three recent matches, Sandeep Sharma has used a slower delivery on the very first ball. The question is, does Virat know this? I am sure he does, because he is a top player,” he said.
The tactical battle is what makes the contest worth watching. Pathan asked whether Kohli will step out on the first ball and force the pressure back, or whether Sharma will change his plan and try to keep fuller lengths, avoid the slower balls and look for swing instead. He also raised the option of bringing the wicketkeeper up, a sign that the bowler may need to vary more than he has in recent matches. Kohli’s recent approach suggests he may be ready for that test, and Rajasthan will know that one early mistake can quickly change the shape of the innings.
What comes next is simple enough. Kohli arrives with form behind him, Sharma arrives with a record that has often worked in his favor, and rr vs rcb begins with one of the league’s clearest individual contests already defined.
