Virat Kohli Helps Phil Salt in IPL Practice

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) star Virat Kohli recently took on a new role during practice for IPL 2026—he became a bowler. This was all to help his teammate, England’s Phil Salt, find his form again.

The defending champions are set to start their IPL campaign with a home match against Sunrisers Hyderabad in Bengaluru on Saturday.

In a viral video, Kohli can be seen bowling to Salt during practice sessions. He delivered some full-length balls and then asked if Salt wanted to face short-length deliveries. Salt agreed and practiced his pull shots.

Kohli and Salt were one of the most successful opening pairs in IPL 2025. They scored a combined 565 runs in 13 innings, playing a key role in RCB’s first IPL title win. In their season opener against Kolkata Knight Riders, they scored 95 runs together for the first wicket.

Salt had a tough time during the recently ended T20 World Cup, scoring only 130 runs across eight matches. However, he performed well in IPL 2025, hitting 403 runs at a high strike rate of 175.98.

Despite Salt’s recent struggles, Kohli and RCB Director Mo Bobat remain confident in him. Bobat praised Salt’s ability to adapt and work well with the team, expressing faith in his performance as IPL 2026 begins.

RCB is ready for the new season, hopeful that Kohli and Salt’s partnership will once again be a force to be reckoned with.