Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar believes Virat Kohli has ‘perfected’ the demands of modern T20 batting, following the Royal Challengers Bengaluru star’s match-winning performance in the IPL 2026 final.
Kohli guided RCB to a second successive IPL title with an unbeaten 75 off 42 balls against Gujarat Titans, after hitting a 25-ball half-century, the fastest in his 19-year-long IPL career. He finished the season with 675 runs from 16 matches at an average of 56.25 and an IPL-best strike rate of 165.84.
Reflecting on Kohli’s evolution as a T20 batter, Manjrekar said the 37-year-old has struck the ideal balance between aggression and consistency.
“At this stage, watching him in this tournament, he has mastered the art of T20 batting that is needed
in IPL cricket. Which means now he knows that he has to score at a 150 to 160 strike rate. So he cashes in the first six overs,” Manjrekar said in a video on his Instagram page.
The former commentator highlighted how Kohli’s approach differs from many power-hitters in the format.
“The most important thing is that he has found this power game, which is just about optimum. It’s almost like he is in third and fourth gear, while the others are trying to hit at a strike rate of 200 and 230.”
Manjrekar explained that Kohli’s measured aggression reduces the risk of mis-hits and allows him to maintain control throughout an innings. The Mumbaikar believes that Kohli understands that sixes don’t need to be hit 90 metres long for them to count, and even a slight focus on timing instead of power greatly reduces the risk of getting out.
It showed in how he still struck 73 fours, almost thrice the number of his 25 sixes during the season.
“When hitting boundaries, Kohli is still big on fours rather than sixes as he does in white-ball international cricket.”
Manjrekar added that Kohli’s new template is sustainable and likely to benefit RCB for years to come.
“Having mastered the art of T20 batting, I don’t see it quickly fading away from Kohli. He will keep working on his fitness, and he has found this template to be consistent and go with the modern times of strike rate. This form of Virat Kohli will be there for a while, and thereby, RCB will be very fortunate and, in a way, very deserving as well.”
