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Former India and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batter Wasim Jaffer criticised his former teammate Virat Kohli for avoiding the customary post-match handshakes with Sunrisers Hyderabad batter Travis Head.
On Friday, SRH beat RCB by 55 runs in their IPL 2026 clash, but could not secure a spot in the top two of the points table due to net run rate. The controversy seemed to have erupted during RCB's chase of 255 on Friday.
The Virat Kohli and Travis Head controversy
While Virat Kohli was batting, he and Travis Head seemed to exchange some words early in the innings. Kohli was even heard daring Travis Head to bowl and mocked him with the Impact Player gesture
Their war of words continued into the fourth over when Venkatesh Iyer smashed 23 runs off left-arm wristspinner Shivang Kumar. When Kohli fell to Sakib Hussain in the 6th over of the innings, Travis Head seemed to have more words for him.
Look at the way Travis Head went to shake hands with Virat Kohli, but Kohli did not shake hands with him back. Seriously, what happened between them? 👀
I have always seen both of them sharing a good bond during international cricket and even in the IPL. pic.twitter.com/lTrCYyIL20— Sonu (@Cricket_live247) May 23, 2026
Towards the end of the match, Kohli was seen fuming in the dugout, supposedly over his altercation with Head. After the match, Kohli shook hands with most of the Sunrisers team but specifically ignored the Australian.
"He is too big a player to be doing this" - Jaffer
Taking to his YouTube channel, Jaffer commented that Virat Kohli should have been mindful not just of the opponents, but his own stature as a great of the game as well, and how his actions would affect those watching.
"We don't know the depth of what happened. Australians get behind you and are very tough on the field. They play hard and keep needling you. But people know you don't have to trigger Virat. I don't know what happened, but at least he should have shaken hands. That thing should end on the ground. Then you have to shake hands and move on. You should not carry it."
"Kohli is an ambassador of the game. Everyone watches him. So all his steps need to be that way, as he is a role model for millions. It was not right. I think he will reflect. We don't know what has happened, but from the outside, it feels like you must move on. He is too big a player to be doing this," he said.
Also Read: Virat Kohli fans give Travis Head the 'Naveen-ul-Haq' treatment after handshake row in IPL 2026
Virat Kohli and RCB's next match
Having secured the top spot on the points table, Kohli's RC will take on the Gujarat Titans in the first Qualifier. The match will be held at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala on May 26.
The winner will get a direct entry to the final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on May 31, loser will get another opportunity to qualify for the final in the second Qualifier. Qualifier 2 will be held at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur on 29 May.
The Sunrisers Hyderabad have finished third and will play in the Eliminator in Mullanpur on 27 May. SRH does not know their opponents for that clash yet. The winner of the Eliminator will face the loser of Qualifier 1 in Qualifier 2. IPL final will then be held between the winner of Qualifier 1 and Qualifier 2.
