Virat Kohli won the Player of the Match award in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 final, as his unbeaten 75 off 42 balls helped the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) chase down a 156-run target with five wickets and two overs to spare at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday, May 31.
Kohli finished the tournament with an impressive tally of 675 runs in 16 matches at an average of 56.25. However, more than the runs, what was very significant was his strike rate of 165.85, his best in a particular
IPL season. His previous best strike rate in a particular edition of the cash-rich league was 154.70 in IPL 2024.
Tom Moody said that in previous years, Kohli was batting as if he were managing a business, but nowadays, it seems he is enjoying himself in the middle.
"The thing that stands out for me about Kohli this year is that he's batting and having fun," Moody, Lucknow Super Giants' global director of cricket, said on ESPNcricinfo's TimeOut show after Kohli's epic knock in the final.
"I think in previous years, he's batting as a business. And he is managing that business. Now, this season, I just see someone just letting everything go and having fun, and because of his brilliance and class that's just increasing everything: the boundaries, his strike rate - it's all there because he's got the complete game. He's let himself go and he's having fun, and everyone's benefiting - from RCB to the fans, to the game," he added.
Virat Kohli is having fun for sure, [and] that's because he trusts his middle order: Varu Aaron
Varun Aaron, who is the bowling coach of the Sunrisers Hyderabad, said that Kohli now has much more trust in the middle-order batters, and that is why he is playing fearlessly at the top. For many years, RCB were dependent on the trio of Chris Gayle, Kohli, and AB de Villiers to score the bulk of their runs. However, the likes of Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar, and Tim David have taken the pressure off of the former India captain.
"Now he knows that even if he gets out [there are others]. We've all spoken about his intent in the powerplay, but his false-shot percentage is also quite high. It's above 30% [24.82%; it has been higher only in two out of the last ten seasons]. So, as an opposition, you know he's also going to give you a chance. But Virat Kohli is having fun for sure, [and] that's because he trusts his middle order. And most of the big players, if they have batsmen behind them, they just know they can unleash their best on the bowling attack," Aaron said.
