Virat Kohli (Image credit: BCCI/IPL)
New Delhi: Royal Challengers Bengaluru and India maestro Virat Kohli’s development in T20 batting has become one of the defining stories of the IPL 2026 season, with former India batsman Sanjay Manjrekar attributing the change to a crucial realization – that the star is “not indispensable” anymore.Kohli on Monday became the first batsman in IPL history to cross 9,000 runs, achieving the feat during RCB’s match against Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. He wrapped up a comfortable 76-ball chase with an unbeaten 23 off 15 balls, finishing in style with successive sixes.With 9,012 runs from 275 matches at an average above 40, Kohli continues to dominate the league. This season, he has compiled 351 runs at a strike rate of 162.50 – a sharp jump from his career strike rate of around 133.“He decided to strike faster.”Manjrekar believes the shift is less technical and more mental. “You see Virat Kohli batting differently… nothing has changed. The only thing is that he has decided that he will bat faster,” he said on Sportstar’s The Insight Edge show.According to him, Kohli earlier preferred to stabilize the innings, often batting in turns beyond the boundaries to bat deep into the innings. “He wanted to extend his innings and play longer because he felt he had to be the man who bats most of the innings and he didn’t completely trust the batsmen in the order,” Manjrekar explained.
He argues that this mentality has held RCB back in the past. “RCB changed when Virat Kohli at the top started batting a little faster and didn’t make himself nearly as indispensable. That’s when others also flourished under him.”Confidence in the team members opens up RCBThe numbers support this shift. Over the past three seasons, Kohli’s strike rate has risen – from 154.69 in 2024 to 144.71 in 2025 and now 162.50 in 2026 – reflecting a clear intent to maximize his run-scoring rather than keep his wickets.Manjrekar stressed that modern T20 requires aggression over longevity. “When you have eight batsmen for just 20 overs, there is no room to pick up singles and doubles just to extend the innings. You have to try to make the most of it,” he said, adding that players who focus too much on milestones risk hurting the team.“No one’s share is more important”Compared to KL Rahul, Manjrekar said many top-order batsmen had earlier shouldered the burden of being the ‘main man’, which resulted in slower scoring rates.“T20 cricket is not about anyone thinking their wicket is important…if someone is worried about just getting out and extending the innings, that player becomes a liability,” he noted.Kohli’s transformation is therefore as much about confidence as it is about rhythm – trusting the batting unit around him and freeing himself from the need to play the innings on his own. And while RCB reaps the rewards, it is a lesson that is reshaping modern T20 batting.
