Ahmedabad: Virat Kohli believes the relentless rise of fearless young cricketers is forcing even the most accomplished veterans to evolve, with the Royal Challengers Bengaluru star admitting that modern T20 cricket demands constant reinvention.
Fresh from guiding RCB to a second successive IPL title, Kohli reflected on how emerging talents have pushed him to adapt his approach, alter his mindset and continue finding new ways to stay ahead in a format that is changing faster than ever.
Reflecting on the emotions of the final, where he remained unbeaten and hit the winning runs, Kohli admitted the occasion felt like something straight out of his dreams.
“Well, it’s the stuff that you dream of. I’ve thought of this moment many times, that, you know, once when we win the IPL, I should be standing there hitting the winning runs and tonight it was possible. So yeah, just a dream day for us,” Kohli said during the post-match press conference.
Kohli said the confidence within the dressing room before the final was evident, with the team entering the contest relaxed and convinced about its strengths.
“And as I mentioned straight after the game as well, we just felt really relaxed coming to the game today and really confident about how we wanted to go about our game and what kind of team we have. And that gives you confidence to just, you know, see any kind of situation through,” he said.
The RCB star also explained why he looked so comfortable during the chase. “But yeah, in a chase, I felt really comfortable out there knowing exactly what to do.”
The final also saw Kohli register the fastest half-century of his IPL career in his 19th season. He credited the changing demands of T20 cricket and the emergence of younger players for pushing him to adapt. However, for him, the challenge of staying relevant remains a source of motivation.
“Well, not really. I mean, such is the demand of the sport today. I mean, you have these, you know, super young players pushing you all the time and really asking you to change your game and up the ante. And it’s an exciting situation because it gives you something to improve on, something to work towards. And yeah, I just take a lot of pride in getting better and just trying to figure out areas where I can improve,” he noted.
He revealed that the adjustment was more mental than technical as he said, “So yeah, it was just a case of the demands of today’s modern game where you need to get those 20, 30 extra runs. And I had to kind of change my mindset, not my game so much to hit the shots I hit, but more often and take the bowlers on, probably the best bowlers in the opposition. That was always my target. So very happy I was able to contribute towards the team cause.”
Having won the title in 2025, RCB entered this season with a clear objective — to finish at the top of the table and focus solely on their own cricket.
“Absolutely. I mean, the first target was to finish top of the table. We achieved that. And then after that, it was just about… you know, a lot of people asked us, who do you prefer in the finals? And we said, it doesn’t matter for us. We don’t care what jersey is in front of us. We are playing great cricket. We want to focus on RCB and not the other teams,” he said. IANS
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