Virat Kohli Injury: Royal Challengers Bengaluru defeated Lucknow Super Giants by five wickets in Match 23 of IPL 2026 at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on 15 April. Rasikh Salam Dar's career-best figures of 4/24 restricted LSG to just 146 all out, and RCB chased the target down with 29 balls to spare. Coming in as an impact substitute, Virat Kohli took the game away from LSG almost single-handedly in the powerplay, as he raced to 40 off just 20 deliveries by the end of the sixth over, propelling RCB to a commanding 60 for 1. He eventually fell for 49 off 34 balls, just one run short of a half-century, but the damage was already done.

A gutsy knock from Virat Kohli despite the physical toll

Virat Kohli’s performance was even more impressive considering the physical shape he was in. He’d been struggling with a sore knee since the previous game and had been feeling under the weather for four or five days before the LSG match. Even with those setbacks, he came out and put on one of the most explosive power-play displays of the season. He tore into the LSG attack with the kind of aggression we’ve seen from him for nearly twenty years. The Chinnaswamy crowd was excited, sensing something special and cheering him on with every boundary.

What did Kohli say after the game? Virat Kohli injury update

After the win, Kohli was honest about how he was feeling. He told the broadcasters that he still wasn't back to 100 per cent, mentioning the knee issue and the fact that he’d been sick all week, though he was happy he could still find that high intensity early in his innings. It was a big admission, especially after playing such a high-level knock in front of a packed stadium. It really showed his character, batting through both a nagging injury and the leftovers of an illness. "I'm still not 100%. I was sore in the last game. I was under the weather for the last four to five days." Shreyas Iyer vs Jasprit Bumrah? These 3 Matchups Will Define The MI vs PBKS IPL 2026 Game At Wankhede

Where does Kohli stand in IPL 2026?

The runs just keep coming, no matter what’s thrown at him. Following this game, Kohli sits at the top of the IPL 2026 Orange Cap race with 228 runs from five matches, striking at 158.33. Before facing LSG, he’d already put up 179 runs from four innings at an average of 59.67 and a strike rate of 162.73, including a best of 69 not out against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the opener. Those stats make him one of the most dangerous players in the tournament right now. At 38, he’s still showing everyone exactly what a top-tier impact sub looks like.