Irfan Pathan makes a massive prediction for Virat Kohli before IPL 2026
Former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan believes that Virat Kohli will be hungrier than ever to win two consecutive IPL titles. He played a major role in Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s IPL 2025 victory, where he scored 657 runs in 15 matches, including 8 half-centuries.
“The hunger in Virat Kohli will be there. In fact, he will be hungrier than ever, especially after lifting the IPL trophy last season. He will want to win back-to-back IPL trophies. That hunger in him to win and create an impact is always going to be there,” Pathan said.
Pathan also stated that Virat Kohli's passion was evident in his recent international matches.
“We have seen that when he played for India, especially in the one-day series against South Africa and New Zealand. He looks like he wants to make an impact in every game. I think he will have the same kind of passion when he comes back this season. He will want to lift the trophy once again,” he said.
He also felt Royal Challengers Bengaluru have strong reserve options if the injury-prone Josh Hazlewood doesn't turn up for the tournament. Pathan further said that RCB's squad has improved this time. Even if Josh Hazlewood is not able to return, the team still has good bowlers like Nuwan Thusara and Jacob Duffy who can take over the team's command in Josh Hazlewood's place, which makes RCB stronger.
“But going into IPL 2026, RCB will have some injury concerns, especially with Josh Hazlewood's fitness. The good thing is they have secured good backups. The duo of Nuwan Thushara and Jacob Duffy can cover well for Hazlewood if he faces fitness issues. That makes RCB even stronger."
The IPL 2026 is set to commence on March 28. So far, the first 20 matches of the tournament schedule have been revealed. The defending champions, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, will start their campaign against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the tournament opener. Following this, they will host Chennai Super Kings on April 05 at Chinnaswamy Stadium.
The Cricket fans are waiting for his next appearance on the ground. He is now featuring in ODIs only. He has taken retirement from T20Is and Tests. After the IPL, he will feature in India’s ODI assignments.
