”No words can describe Virat Kohli. When he is in, the team is always in the chase. He is the No. 1 batter,” stated Rajat Patidar, captain of Royal Challengers Bengaluru, after his team defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad handily on Saturday in the IPL 2026 season opener.
While praising Kohli’s chase-defining 38-ball-69 not out and debutant Jacob Duffy’s impact with the new ball, Patidar, who led from the front with 12-ball-31, described it as a team effort.
When asked if he was content, Patidar said: “The way boys played and this was a season opener. Everyone chipped in and did the job. Duffy was playing his first game and the way he played and the wickets he took were the turning point.”
He wasn’t quite in agreement when asked if RCB would adopt Team India’s attack at all costs strategy.
“Not a policy, we assessed the wicket and it was good. Padikkal and Kohli’s innings were the base. No words for Virat. The way he goes in, the team is chasing. He is the No. 1 batter.”
Additionally, he commended Phil Salt for his outstanding catch that removed Ishan Kishan, who had blasted his way to 80.
“That (Ishan Kishan) was a terrific catch by Salt. Even I was surprised but he is a great fielder. I wanted to create a lot of impact and I wanted to chase this quickly. I just wanted to have a lot of impact,” Patidar said.
New Zealand pacer Duffy, who made an impressive IPL debut with a three-wicket haul, stated he was only attempting to carry out a clear plan and build on the efforts of experienced pros.
“Awesome, hell of a way to start the campaign. Great win.”
When asked if he had been instructed to emulate Josh Hazlewood, he responded: “I am just keeping the big fellow’s seat warm. I just wanted to bowl the hard lengths, just keep the ball there. Even better that I got to walk off the field after seven overs. We talked about the lengths and stuff, what works here. Just build on what Josh did.”
Duffy was relieved at the dismissal of Abhishek Sharma, after he was smashed around by the batter a few months ago.
“I am sick of bowling to Abhishek for sure (jokes). Haven’t seen such bounce in India before as we saw here. But that was the case today.”
When asked if he was instructed to bowl four overs upfront, he responded: “Just Rajat said you go and I happily obliged. When the ball is hard and new is the best time to bowl on this surface.”
While acknowledging Kohli’s pivotal contribution in the chase, SRH captain Kishan recognized that his team lost momentum at crucial points.
“We did well after losing track, which gives a lot of confidence to us. You know, especially you have to give some credit to the batters as well, the way they batted, especially Virat bhai while chasing. It was very important to get his wicket as soon as possible. Otherwise, if he keeps on going, it’s hard to stop him.”
Kishan didn’t want to be too harsh on his teammates because this was the first game.
“We’ll have to work a little hard. It’s the first game and these mistakes are acceptable for now. We’ll be a little more cautious with the bowling, areas where we need to execute, and we might be stronger from this game,” Kishan said.
