Former Indian skipper Kris Srikkanth likened Virat Kohli to legendary West Indies batter Sir Viv Richards after Royal Challengers Bengaluru registered a 23-run win against Punjab Kings at Dharamshala on Sunday. 

The Indian veteran scored another impressive knock of 58 runs off 37 balls against PBKS and thus gave another good start to his team. Kohli’s knock included four fours and three maximums.

Kohli is shining in the ongoing IPL 2026, scoring 542 runs in 13 matches of the season for RCB at an average of 54.20 and a strike rate of 164.74.

Srikkanth said on his YouTube Channel, “He is just a run machine every season. Don’t forget, he was the only player retained by RCB in 2011. It’s after that that he started scoring consistently, and the rest is history. The whip shot he plays to leg from outside off-stump is just like Viv Richards. Only Richards could play that shot this well before Kohli.”

“The other batters have no worries because of his presence. He is like a bank deposit and a sure guarantee. That’s why everyone else bats around Kohli, which is what the team management’s philosophy is.”

On the other hand, Srikkanth highlighted that Shreyas Iyer’s mode of dismissal has been the same in the recent past. Iyer was caught behind by Jitesh Sharma after he managed a solitary run.

“Shreyas Iyer got a great delivery. But the same delivery has gotten him bowled and caught behind. He hasn’t scored in the last five matches. And the way he has been getting out remains the same, the line and the mode,” said Srikkanth (via the aforementioned source).

“The bowlers have figured out that the Test match line works perfectly against him. Iyer bats away from the line and then comes across to the line, but he’s getting out before reaching the line of the ball. So he is stuck there.”

With this win, RCB were able to confirm their playoff qualification.