An exciting game awaits everyone on Wednesday evening at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru, as defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) host the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in match no. 23 of IPL 2026.
Both teams have played four matches each. Rishabh Pant’s LSG have secured two wins, but they are coming off a seven-wicket thumping by the Gujarat Titans.
RCB, led by Rajat Patidar, have been clinical in three of their four matches, losing only one time this season so far – to table-toppers Rajasthan Royals. They thrashed Mumbai Indians in their last match after posting 240 on the board.
During that match, though, former RCB captain and superstar batsman Virat Kohli suffered an injury scare as he left the field with a leg issue. The short turnaround between RCB’s matches means that Kohli will be pushing in a race to be declared fit for tonight’s game.
RCB vs LSG: Will Virat Kohli play today against LSG? If not, who replaces him in the side?
Virat Kohli sustained a leg injury while batting against Mumbai Indians. Kohli did not take the field during Mumbai’s innings and was seen with a knee strap while training on the ground on the eve of the match against LSG.
It’s difficult to say whether he will play or not today against LSG. Kohli did have a 45-minute batting session on Tuesday, and he could play today as an Impact Player so that he doesn’t have to field.
If Virat Kohli doesn’t play today, Venkatesh Iyer is likely to replace him in the side, with either Venkatesh or Devdutt Padikkal to open alongside Phil Salt. RCB fans would be hoping that it doesn’t come to that.
Virat Kohli copped some criticism for his 38-ball 50-run knock against MI. His strike rate of 131 was far inferior to his teammates Phil Salt, Rajat Patidar, and Tim David, all three of whom rattled at a strike rate of more than 200.
Meanwhile, there is no news regarding Josh Hazlewood. The lanky Australian fast bowler played his first game of the season against Rajasthan but was rested from the MI match. His workload is being managed, and he may return today against LSG, replacing Jacob Duffy.
However, that seemed a one-off bad day for Kohli, who has consciously been playing a high-intent game since last season. In IPL 2026, Kohli has scored 179 runs in four innings at a strike rate of 162. Among the openers who have scored at least 150 runs this season, Virat Kohli has the third-best strike rate, behind only Sooryavanshi and Samson and better than Jaiswal and Gill.
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