Royal Challengers Bengaluru batter Virat Kohli seen during a practice session in Bengaluru.
| Photo Credit: K. Murali Kumar

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli (Agency Image)

Quick quiz: Since the first T20 World Cup in 2007, how many players who played only ODI cricket have been part of a 50-over World Cup-winning side? Answer: None. In 2027, across Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe, Rohit and Kohli would love to change that. Assuming, of course, that they will be picked. Having retired from Tests and T20Is, they now occupy a curious space: giant names, shrinking game-time. Which is why this IPL matters so much. It is their most visible audition. If both want to convince a team management and selection panel that has become increasingly ruthless and pragmatic, they need to perform over the next eight weeks for Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, respectively. That may sound dramatic. After all, few players have achieved more. But the road to the 2027 ODI World Cup will not be paved by reputation or old highlights. It will depend on present-day form and fitness. Both remain in the conversation, with captain Shubman Gill and others indicating as much. The harder question is whether they can last that long. For Rohit, who turns 39 on April 30, and Kohli, now 37, this IPL is a fitness test-cum-batting examination. Both are now one-format cricketers. Both must show they can endure a long, high-intensity campaign and still be standing in 2027. Fitness, though, is only half the issue. Form, that fickle friend, is the other. Ask any Indian cricketer what they fear most and the answer is simple: being out of sight, out of mind. That is what makes this IPL so important for Rohit and Kohli. It puts them back in view after public attention was seized by the heroes of India’s T20 World Cup triumph. ODIs are increasingly rare. India last played a five-match ODI series in Feb–March 2019. For single-format players, one poor series can mean a long wait for another chance. Those gaps hurt batters most: rhythm fades, match sharpness dulls and every failure feels terminal. For them, every substantial IPL innings will be read as evidence — or the lack of it — that Rohit and Kohli are still moving well, reacting sharply and carrying the intensity top-level ODI cricket demands. And unlike the IPL, ODIs offer no impact substitute, the ultimate safety valve for sluggish movers. It remains a seven-hour test of endurance. Lazy analysis has caused us to hyphenate Rohit and Kohli’s careers. Acronyms like the nauseating “Ro-Ko” have only reinforced that. Yet, the stakes are higher for Rohit. His ODI legacy is secure but age and role now sit at the heart of the debate, especially with younger opening options available alongside Gill that offer greater athletic value in the field. Fan armies have dressed up Rohit’s loose dismissals as intent. His rollicking 20s and 30s were hailed as selflessness. But poor habits become more stubborn with age. They bled into his Test game too, accelerating both technical decline and his eventual exit from the format. This IPL, selectors and coach Gautam Gambhir will watch him closely. Can Rohit start with intent, pull quality pace without losing shape, run hard, field efficiently and maintain acceptable fitness through a long campaign? He has crossed 500 runs in an IPL season only once, in 2013. Another middling season and quiet murmurs could metamorphose into harsh verdicts. His last three ODI scores, remember, were 3, 11 and 24. Kohli’s case is different. He has been the defining white-ball batter of his generation and one of Indian sport’s great athletic specimens. What he is chasing now is not excellence but sustained relevance. Against South Africa and New Zealand, he showed greater willingness to attack early, looking for boundaries inside his first 10 balls. It suggested adaptation. Kohli had already mastered low-risk accumulation in ODIs; now he has garnished it with consistent urgency. That matters in the IPL, where strike rate and impact shape or destroy narratives. Kohli will want to show he can still dominate key bowlers and keep pace with the modern game’s demands. If he can combine control with carnage, his case remains strong. He has 11 IPL seasons of 400-plus runs and while many came at strike rates in the mid-120s, in each of his last three seasons it has risen to above 140. Last year, while batting first, his strike rate was 147.8, higher than his strike rate while chasing, 142.18. Since 2025, his ODI strike rate is 98.45, above his career mark of 93.41. Kohli also knows that when senior players try to stretch themselves into another World Cup cycle, selectors judge more than numbers. They look for hunger, energy and intent. The IPL, played under relentless scrutiny and offering instant, unforgiving public judgment, is the perfect stage for such examinations. The league has increasingly become a selection filter across formats in India — sometimes, disturbingly, even for Tests. For Rohit and Kohli, this season is more than a tournament. It is their ticket to relevance.

AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli (Image credit: BCCI/IPL)

NEW DELHI: As the cricket world gears up for IPL 2026, one of the tournament’s most iconic “bromances” is back in the spotlight. AB de Villiers, the legendary South African batter and former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) stalwart, has made a candid admission regarding his first impression of former captain Virat Kohli.While the duo eventually became the most feared batting pair in T20 history, De Villiers revealed that it wasn’t exactly “friendship at first sight”. Speaking about their early encounters on Mbangwa Media YouTube channel, the man known as Mr. 360 confessed that Kohli’s initial demeanour rubbed him the wrong way.“I didn’t initially like him a lot, to be honest. He was a bit cocky, you know, and I’ve told him that before. I’ve said it in many interviews. We sort of laugh at that now,” De Villiers remarked.

However, the Proteas legend was quick to clarify that this perceived arrogance was actually a mirror image of his own personality. “Why I say cocky is because I probably saw a similar kind of thing that I have in him; it’s that competitive drive,” he added. “It’s that thing that you’re born with, that I don’t like losing, nothing is going to change that. So I probably saw that in Virat initially when I met him.”The ice began to melt as the two spent more time together on the international circuit. De Villiers noted that beneath the aggressive exterior was a cricketer driven by a profound sense of duty to his team.“Then in the second or third meeting, getting to hear his voice and hear him speak, I’m like, oh okay, he’s also just human, you know, just a nice guy who’s got a deep drive of wanting to perform and win games of cricket for his country,” he added.The foundation of their legendary RCB partnership was actually laid during a tense Test match at the Wanderers after RCB picked Kohli. Despite being in the heat of an international battle, Kohli reached out to his future teammate.“And I remember in that tunnel, he came up to me, he’s like, ‘I’m glad you’re on our team.’ And we sort of vibed, like we’re going to be good friends. In the middle of a Test match, we would hardly ever speak to each other, and he just went like, ‘Yes, I’m so glad we got you.’ I’m like, okay, this guy actually likes me, we can maybe be mates,” De Villiers recalled

Virat Kohli (BCCI/IPL Photo)

NEW DELHI: Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan believes Kohli’s transition to playing fewer formats might impact his T20 rhythm, especially after breaks.“This time, things will be a little different for Kohli. For the first time, he will play the IPL having completely retired from Test cricket. He is playing only one format. It is not easy for anyone,” Pathan said in a video on his YouTube channel.

“But he has scored, and his performance has been brilliant. Even when he comes after a break, it has not been difficult for him in one-day cricket.”Virat Kohli has joined Royal Challengers Bengaluru ahead of IPL 2026, but this season could be slightly different for him. With Kohli now retired from Test cricket and only playing limited formats, expectations are high, but experts feel the shift could bring new challenges in T20 cricket.“In T20S, when you play the aggressor and come in not having played a lot, it will be challenging. But he has faced many challenges before as well. I am very excited to see how he will go forward this season,” he added.Pathan also highlighted how Kohli’s change in batting style last season played a big role in RCB’s success. Instead of anchoring the innings, Kohli took a more attacking role, which helped the team win the title.“Virat Kohli and RCB is an identity that goes together. He started with RCB and is still playing for them. He has delivered brilliant performances. It was also a golden period in his career when he captained the team; there were a lot of brilliant performances,” he noted.“When they won last season, his strike rate also went up. He did not play anchor but took the role of an aggressor. It was a very big factor. They will expect even this time that he keeps up the same form.”

File pic: Rajasthan Royals’ Riyan Parag (R) with Sanju Samson. (PTI Photo)

NEW DELHI: Rajasthan Royals captain Riyan Parag has addressed the biggest talking point ahead of IPL 2026 — the absence of long-time leader and star wicketkeeper-batter Sanju Samson — with a striking comparison that underlines the scale of the void left behind.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Samson, the face of the franchise for over a decade, represented the Royals across 11 seasons before being traded to Chennai Super Kings, where he will now feature in yellow. In exchange, Rajasthan brought in England all-rounder Sam Curran and veteran Ravindra Jadeja, signalling a shift in team composition.

Speaking to the media on Thursday, Parag made it clear that replacing Samson is no straightforward task. “Sanju’s game is unique; he cannot be compared to anyone else. It is like asking, ‘Who is Virat Kohli’s replacement?’ — it simply isn’t possible,” he said. “However, every player plays to win, and everyone has different capabilities.”Parag also reflected on the team’s shortcomings last season, particularly in crunch moments. “We were losing matches in the final stages. Had we played with more freedom — or managed to hit a boundary at a crucial moment, or prevented the opposition from doing so — we would have progressed further. This time, we are addressing and rectifying those mistakes,” he added.New-look Royals bank on balance, all-round strengthThe RR skipper emphasised that the team has worked on building a balanced squad. “We have a good combination of spin and pace bowlers. In batting too, there is a proper mix of right- and left-handers. We have high expectations from Ravindra Jadeja; he is a magnificent all-rounder,” Parag said.On the question of venues and home advantage, Parag dismissed any added pressure. “Regardless of the venue, there’s always a mixed crowd. We tune out the noise and focus on our game. Our goal is to perform well, wherever we play.”Head coach Kumar Sangakkara echoed confidence in the squad’s depth and future prospects, especially young sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi. “He is very young but showing magnificent form. He is a vital part of the team, and we have a specific strategy for him,” Sangakkara said.