NEW DELHI: Virat Kohli was seen training with his left knee heavily strapped ahead of Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s IPL 2026 clash against Lucknow Super Giants at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Tuesday.In a video shared by LSG’s social media handle, Kohli was seen walking with his left knee strapped while meeting New Zealand great Kane Williamson. He greeted Williamson, who is part of LSG’s support staff, and also hugged LSG skipper Rishabh Pant.
Kohli, who has been in ominous form in IPL 2026, had walked off the field with an ankle niggle during the previous match against Mumbai Indians, raising concerns about his availability for Wednesday’s game.However, the star batter spent time in the nets with a strapped knee, easing concerns over his fitness for now. He also had an extended batting session during practice.In four matches so far this season, Kohli has scored 179 runs at an average of 59.66 and a strike rate of 162.72, including two fifties, with a highest score of 69*.In the previous outing against Mumbai Indians, he struck a 38-ball 50, hitting five fours and a six.RCB will once again rely on their formidable batting line-up as they aim to overcome an inconsistent Lucknow Super Giants side and move clear of the mid-table congestion.The Bengaluru outfit are currently third on the points table with six points, while four other teams trail closely with four points each. RCB are two points behind leaders Rajasthan Royals and one point adrift of Punjab Kings.
Squads:Royal Challengers Bengaluru Squad: Philip Salt, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar(c), Jitesh Sharma(w), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jacob Duffy, Suyash Sharma, Rasikh Salam Dar, Venkatesh Iyer, Jacob Bethell, Swapnil Singh, Mangesh Yadav, Josh Hazlewood, Jordan Cox, Nuwan Thushara, Vicky Ostwal, Vihaan Malhotra, Abhinandan Singh, Kanishk Chouhan, Satvik DeswalLucknow Super Giants Squad: Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, Rishabh Pant(w/c), Ayush Badoni, Nicholas Pooran, Abdul Samad, Mukul Choudhary, George Linde, Mohammed Shami, Avesh Khan, Digvesh Singh Rathi, Prince Yadav, Manimaran Siddharth, Shahbaz Ahmed, Mayank Yadav, Matthew Breetzke, Anrich Nortje, Josh Inglis, Himmat Singh, Mohsin Khan, Arjun Tendulkar, Akash Maharaj Singh, Akshat Raghuwanshi, Arshin Kulkarni, Naman Tiwari.
