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IPL 2026 [WATCH]Virat Kohli jokingly called Venkatesh Iyer ‘Allan Donald’ during RCB’s net practice. Read

By Sandy Verma

Pre-season training camps are usually full of business, drills, fitness sessions, strategic discussions and a lot of hard work behind closed doors. But sometimes, a moment comes along that captures the spirit of the dressing room better than any press conference. this is what happened Royal Challengers Bengaluru In the pre-season nets, when a short video posted on the official social media of RCB managed to grab the attention of cricket fans.

Venkatesh Iyer’s transfer to RCB and what he brings

Venkatesh Iyer To IPL 2026 auction In ₹7 crore Selected by RCB in 2017, while he was first Kolkata Knight Riders Were an important part of. KKR During his time with, he 62 matches Played as a left-handed batsman 1,468 runs made, whose average Strike rate of 137.32 Which includes one century and 12 half-centuries.

But what has always made Iyer interesting is that he is not just a batsman. His bowling ability and ability to contribute with the ball provides vital flexibility for any T20 team. RCB head coach Andy Flower has already described Iyer’s all-round utility as vital to the balance of the team, and as per the footage from the Nets, Iyer is taking this responsibility seriously.

Virat Kohli called Iyer Allan Donald

Iyer was seen bowling in the nets and bowled an accurate yorker that blasted past the off stump. standing nearby Virat Kohli immediately responded with a smile and gave a reference that no Indian cricket fan can miss. Kohli told Iyer “Venkateshwar bana, you are Allan Donald.” — compared him to the South African fast bowler in the middle of the practice session.

Here is the video:

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Those who are not familiar with the name, Allan Donald Is considered one of the most feared fast bowlers in the game. This South African bowler “White Lightning” He terrorized batsmen during the 1990s and early 2000s with his pace, accuracy and ability to produce sharp bounce on any surface. He took 330 Test wickets and played a key role in South Africa becoming a cricketing powerhouse after returning to international cricket.

So when Kohli, who has faced the best bowlers in the world across formats, casually calls out that name while watching a net session, it is not something you can ignore. This was apparently said in good humour, but the underlying point was clear: Iyer was bowling with genuine pace and accuracy, enough to elicit a response from one of cricket’s most competitive minds.

RCB will begin their title defense against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru this Saturday, and if the energy from their pre-season camp is anything to go by, the defending champions are entering IPL 2026 in very good spirits.

Also read: IPL 2026: Lalit Modi calls LSG owner Sanjiv Goenka ‘joker’ over his reaction to RR and RCB’s record acquisition deal

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