"It was not a fluke": Suresh Raina warns Virat Kohli and RCB ahead of IPL 2026
Published - 18 Mar 2026, 04:56 PM | Updated - 18 Mar 2026, 05:00 PM
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Former India and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) star Suresh Raina has made a bold statement on the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) icon Virat Kohli ahead of the start of the IPL 2026, starting on March 28 at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
After ending years of pain and finally lifting the IPL trophy in 2025, Royal Challengers Bengaluru are entering IPL 2026 with fire in their eyes. The long wait is over, but the real challenge starts now. Winning once was historic, but winning it again will be a tough challenge.
Suresh Raina backs Virat Kohli’s hunger to drive RCB again
Before the IPL 2026 begins, Suresh Raina said that he feels Virat Kohli will come into this season with one clear target, and that will be to make sure nobody calls RCB’s title win a one-season story. The former CSK star believes that Virat Kohli’s hunger will drive the entire team.
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Suresh Raina said on Star Sports, "The moment Virat Kohli reaches the Chinnaswamy Stadium, his very first question would be, 'Which players will raise their hand? We have to defend this title.' That is the mindset. He [Virat Kohli] is only playing ODIs now; he is not playing T20Is or Tests. Will he tell the Chinnaswamy Stadium that it was not a fluke from us? We worked a lot for it, Kohli will say.”
The cricket pundit believes that the RCB now has the kind of setup strong, title-winning teams usually have, and they have the experience.
Strong Indian core and settled batting order boost RCB
That gives the side more calm, more confidence, and more strength in pressure moments. Raina also feels RCB’s batting unit looks settled and dangerous.
Raina further noted, “They already have 7-8 players who have played for India. When CSK had won back-to-back in 2010 and 2011, we also had a setup like that, where 7-8 players had played for India. RCB's team is so strong now; they have brought in Venkatesh Iyer. Devdutt Padikkal has been in terrific form; he has been scoring a lot of runs. The best thing about RCB is that they have a sorted batting order.”
Well, Royal Challengers Bengaluru will play five games at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, while two home matches will take place in Raipur. The Bengaluru stadium officially got the approval to host matches again following the terrible stampede during the celebration.
RCB sale race adds more drama before new season
The defending champions will begin their campaign at home against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) on March 28. Notably, the franchise is up for sale, and the process has now reached the last stage. Only two strong titans are in a fight to buy the RCB side.
One is a big investment firm from Sweden. The other is a group that includes Ranjan Pai, a well-known name in the healthcare world, along with major investors from the US and Singapore. A few other famous names had also shown interest earlier, but they are now out of the race.
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