‘Whenever I come back to play, it's 120%’

Virat Kohli made an emphatic return to T20 cricket, striking an unbeaten 69 off 38 balls to guide Royal Challengers Bengaluru to a commanding win over Sunrisers Hyderabad at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday, saying the break from the format left him “fresh, excited” and ready to give “120%”.

Kohli’s last T20 appearance came in the Indian Premier League 2025 final, which RCB won to end their wait for a maiden title, and they began their defence by chasing down a target of 202 in 15.4 overs. Kohli remained unbeaten in the chase.

“Well, you know, the kind of scheduling that we’ve had over the last 15 years, and the amount of cricket I’ve played, for me, there was always a risk of getting burnt out rather than being undercooked,” Kohli said after the game. “So these breaks helped me immensely. I stay fresh, I stay excited. Whenever I come back to play, it’s 120%. I’m not coming back underprepared.

“In fact, the extra rest helps me to mentally freshen up. And as long as you’re physically fit and you’re excited mentally, both those things come together nicely. And then you’re able to contribute for the team’s cause. That’s what you want to do as a player. You don’t want to hold on to a spot. You want to keep performing and keep putting in the work for the team.”

Kohli entered the IPL after scoring 93, 23 and 124 in three ODIs against New Zealand in January. He was India’s top-scorer in that series, and also in the preceding ODI series against South Africa in December, when he made 302 runs including two centuries.

Against SRH, Kohli hit five fours and five sixes, finishing the chase in style with a sequence of 6, 4, 4, 4 in the 16th over. He said that despite not having played a T20 since June last year, his recent ODI performances helped him “stay in that same kind of momentum”.

“I wasn’t playing shots that I don’t usually play,” he said. “So I knew as long as I have the rhythm, and I’ve put enough work physically behind the scenes with my fitness, things should come together nicely. Tonight was another chance to start strong and to build on this.”

RCB’s next fixture is another home game against Chennai Super Kings on April 5.