Former KKR Star Makes Bold Claim On Virat Kohli Ahead Of RCB Vs CSK: 'There Will Be Some Pressure'

Former India and Kolkata Knight Riders star Manoj Tiwary has said that there will be a pressure situation on Virat Kohli because he doesn’t play a lot of cricket these days, but the latter always comes with proof of why he holds such stature, adding that he instils belief in the Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

Kohli entered IPL 2026 with limited game time under his belt, having played just three competitive matches earlier in the year during the home ODI series against New Zealand, before heading to England for preparations and linking up with the RCB camp.

Kohli showed no signs of rust, smashing an unbeaten 69 in RCB’s season-opening victory over SRH. But Tiwary noted that the lack of recent game time could still weigh on Kohli’s mind ahead of the high-stakes

clash against Chennai Super Kings.

“There will be at least a little bit of pressure because he hasn’t played much. But he always comes with proof of why he is Virat Kohli. As long as he is at the crease, there is always belief in the dugout,” Tiwary said while speaking on Cricbuzz.

“Along with him, the way Devdutt Padikkal has also started this season, the way he (Padikkal) released pressure in the last match, made a huge difference,” Tiwary added.

Kohli boasts a brilliant record against CSK, amassing 1146 runs in 34 innings at an average of 38.2 and a strike rate of 127.76. The last time he faced them at home, Kohli blazed his way to a 33-ball 62, powering RCB to a formidable 213.

Meanwhile, CSK captain Ruturaj Gaikwad is under immense pressure, having now suffered six successive losses as skipper.

“The issue isn’t with the playing XI. Last match, I felt that they could have used Prashant Veer with the ball, or even Shivam Dube. When you see that your frontline regular bowlers are conceding runs, they could have considered that route or an option,” Tiwary said.