Virat Kohli Firmly Declines Fans’ Call for Bowling in RCB vs CSK Clash

Virat Kohli [Source: AP Photos]

Former Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Virat Kohli grabbed everyone’s attention during the Royal Challengers Bangalore versus Chennai Super Kings match at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Sunday, where Virat Kohli was seen rejecting a special demand from fans.

Meanwhile, Royal Challengers Bangalore defeated Chennai Super Kings by 43 runs in their IPL 2026 match and registered the second consecutive win of the season. Although Royal Challengers Bangalore won the match with a big margin, this fan moment involving Virat Kohli became one of the most talked‑about highlights.

Royal Challengers Bangalore post a huge total against Chennai Super Kings

Royal Challengers Bangalore batted first and scored a massive total of 250 for 3. Devdutt Padikkal gave Royal Challengers Bangalore a steady start and scored 50 runs from 29 balls, and this was Devdutt Padikkal’s second fifty in a row this season. After that, Rajat Patidar and Tim David took control of the innings and finished strongly.

Notably, Tim David was the star performer and remained unbeaten on 70 runs from just 25 balls, while Rajat Patidar stayed not out on 48 from only 19 balls. Together, Tim David and Rajat Patidar added 99 runs in just 35 balls, and they played big shots all around the ground, therefore Chennai Super Kings bowlers were under pressure.

In the final overs, Tim David attacked aggressively and hit multiple sixes, including four sixes in one over. Tim David’s half‑century came in only 21 balls, and Royal Challengers Bangalore scored 97 runs in the last five overs, therefore Royal Challengers Bangalore reached a huge total.

Chennai Super Kings struggle during the chase

While chasing 251, Chennai Super Kings struggled to maintain the required run rate. Sarfaraz Khan played a quick innings and scored 50 runs from 24 balls, and Prashant Veer also contributed 43 runs. However, the rest of the Chennai Super Kings batting lineup could not make a big impact.

Chennai Super Kings lost early wickets, including captain Ruturaj Gaikwad, therefore Chennai Super Kings were under pressure from the beginning. The Royal Challengers Bangalore bowling attack performed well, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar also reached the milestone of 200 IPL wickets during the match.

At one stage, Chennai Super Kings tried to make a comeback in the middle overs. However, Chennai Super Kings kept losing wickets at important moments, and Jamie Overton tried to score some quick runs at the end, yet it was not enough.

Virat Kohli rejects fans’ bowling demand

During Chennai Super Kings’ innings, the crowd started chanting and asking Virat Kohli to bowl. The fans were loudly chanting “Kohli Ko Bowling Do”. However, Virat Kohli was seen smiling and rejecting the fans’ demand, and this moment quickly became popular among fans on social media.

Meanwhile, this was not the first time fans asked Virat Kohli to bowl. These chants actually started during the ODI World Cup 2023 match against Bangladesh.

During that match, Hardik Pandya got injured while bowling, and therefore Virat Kohli came in to complete the over. Since then fans have continued chanting for Virat Kohli to bowl in matches.

Royal Challengers Bangalore win comfortably against Chennai Super Kings

In the end, Chennai Super Kings were bowled out for 207 in 19.4 overs and fell short by 43 runs. With this victory, Royal Challengers Bangalore also registered their fourth straight win over Chennai Super Kings, and this is the first time Royal Challengers Bangalore achieved this record in IPL history.

It is important to note that Royal Challengers Bangalore won their second match of the season and are currently at the top of the points table with back‑to‑back wins and a strong net run rate of +2.501. Royal Challengers Bangalore now have 2 points.

Royal Challengers Bangalore will next face Rajasthan Royals at the Barasapara Stadium in Guwahati, Assam on April 20.